A Quiet Goodbye
by ioanhoratio
Summary: Danny and Lindsay lose a child they never got a chance to know, but already loved. This story is about loss AND hope; not as angst filled as it may sound. Please read author's note in Chapter 1.
1. Chapter 1

**A Quiet Goodbye**

**By: ioanhoratio**

**A/N: PLEASE READ! This is a multi-chapter story that deals with miscarriage. I know it is more dramatic to not reveal that kind of thing before you even read the story, but I know how personal and difficult this topic is and I don't want anyone to go into this story blind. This story is rated M because this chapter includes my attempt at some smutty action (still not convinced I write it well enough but I think it is important to this story so I gave it another go) and because there are adult themes in this story. This story is sad and angst filled, but I am also trying to include the hope and eventual healing as well. **

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_Prologue_

**0W 0D**

Three days...it had been three days since Danny Messer had seen his wife or daughter awake for more than 15 minutes at a time. The case he'd been assigned to had kept him out late each night and his obligation to testify as an expert witness had him leaving home early the last few days. When Mac realized he had seen more of his CSI over the week than Lindsay or Lucy had, he decided to send the young man home.

Danny hadn't argued, and in fact had practically run to the locker room to grab his stuff. He had pretended not to hear Adam calling his name and had kept his head down to avoid making eye contact with those around him--desperate to not be stopped by someone on his way out.

Now he found himself standing outside the apartment he shared with his little family. It was just passed noon, and Danny knew it was likely that Lucy was down for her nap so he quietly turned the key in the lock and slowly nudged the door open. He peeked his head around the door and his gaze immediately locked with his confused wife's.

She was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the living room floor surrounded by freshly laundered clothes and towels. Her short hair was pinned messily back from her slightly flushed face and the blue camisole and work-out pants she still wore from the night before were rumpled, her thin top clearly showing her lack of a bra as well as serving as testament to the yogurt Lucy had eaten for a snack, and to Danny she couldn't have looked any more beautiful.

"You nearly gave me a heart attack," Lindsay said to him, "What are you doing home so early? I thought you were on til 6."

"Sorry," he mumbled as he walked fully into the room, closing and locking the door behind him, "I thought I'd surprise you."

Danny dropped his bag and knelt down in front of her. He took the towel she was folding out of her hands and placed it back on the pile. Lindsay gave Danny a bemused smile. She knew her husband, and she knew the look in his eyes.

"Mac sent me home early, too much overtime," Danny explained.

"Really?" Lindsay asked eagerly, "So you're home for the rest of the day?"

"Yep," Danny said simply.

Lindsay's face broke into a huge grin. "That _is_ a good surprise."

"Lucy asleep?"

Lindsay nodded, "She went down about 10 minutes ago."

It was Danny's turn to grin. Their 18 month old would usually nap anywhere from an hour to two hours. He sent a silent prayer heavenward that it would be a two hour day as he reached out and turned Lindsay slightly then leaned her back against the warm towels.

"Can I help you?" she giggled.

He followed her body down with his, his face inches from hers, and his eyebrows danced wickedly as he answered, "Yes, yes ya can."

He rested his weight on his left arm and against her body as he laid on top of her. He took his right hand and slid it down her body to rest against her hip. Lindsay responded by bringing her hands up and gripping tightly to his upper arms, loving the feel of his hard muscles under her fingers.

"I've missed you," he whispered against her cheek, just before he moved his face down to connect his lips with hers in a light, tender kiss. He then buried his nose in the crook of her neck and breathed deeply. "I've missed your smell," he said, "I love that ya haven't showered yet."

Lindsay scoffed.

"I'm serious," Danny defended as he slid his right hand under her night shirt and allowed his fingers to graze over her breast, "and I've missed seein' ya in your jammies." Danny began massaging and kneading her breast. Lindsay gave a small moan at the pleasurable feeing of her nipple hardening.

"I've missed hearin' that sound," Danny said, his voice husky, "I've missed everything about you, even watching you fold laundry."

Despite her current sexual state, Lindsay laughed at him, "I didn't realize it was such a turn on."

"Oh, yeah," he growled.

Lindsay's smile grew, "You're just happy you don't have to do it."

Danny didn't bother to argue. They both knew it was true. Despite years of bachelorhood, Danny hated doing laundry and avoided it at all costs. Lindsay would often tease him by telling him she could hide his Christmas presents in the dryer and he would never find them. He did, however, insist, "Don't discount the sexy housewife look."

Lindsay raised an eyebrow at him.

His expression became serious as he described, "The way you take the towel and line up the edges," Danny's hand moved from her breast down to the waist of her pants, skimming back and forth as he continued, "then fold it once and smooth the wrinkles out." Danny's hand slid under the garment, his fingers tickled by the curls hidden underneath. Lindsay arched against him slightly in anticipation of what they both knew was coming. "Then," Danny's fingers slipped lower, "you fold it again, caressin' the fabric over and over." Danny allowed a single finger to roughly run up and down her opening, in tandem with his words, "until you are convinced that it's neatly folded." Danny inserted his finger into her, momentarily surprised at how wet she already was.

Lindsay hissed in delight and moaned, "I missed you too."

Danny buried his face in her neck as he began moving his finger in and out of her and teased, "Obviously."

It didn't take long after that for the couple to find themselves naked and panting, as the rode each other to release. Their harsh whispers communicating love and appreciation as they did their best to not wake their sleeping daughter; Danny's powerful thrusts causing them both waves of pleasure as he drove them higher and higher. With their skin hot and sweaty, they clung to each other, stroking and battling with a single purpose. Soon, with their faces buried in each other's necks, they found completion.

"Come shower with me," Danny suggested once he had managed to catch his breath.

From her position sprawled across his chest, Lindsay glanced at his watch. "I don't think we have time for round two," she informed him, knowing their daughter could wake at any time.

"That's fine," Danny said, "Jus' come shower with me. We'll just shower."

He wasted no time in jumping up and tugging Lindsay along behind him. She barely had time to grab two clean towels and the baby monitor as Danny hurried down the hallway.

They laughed and joked as they helped each other wash those "hard to reach" places. They played together under the spray of warm water; both as comfortable with the other's body as they were their own. It was not long though before a distraught whine carried over the monitor indicating Lucy was awake. The lover's froze, mentally willing their daughter to go back to sleep. Her cries continued, but soon tapered off. Danny and Lindsay grinned at each other. Danny wasted no time in pulling Lindsay's wet, slick body against his own and kissed her thoroughly. However, a few minutes later their heavy make out session was interrupted as a pitiful, "Mom-eee," was heard.

The couple pulled apart. Taking a moment to calm her breathing, Lindsay rested her head against his shoulder. "Alright lover boy, your daughter calls," she said as she pulled away.

"What am I supposed to do about this?" Danny whined, indicating his erection, which seemed to be reaching out for her.

Lindsay smirked and lowering her voice said, "I can help you there Messer." She moved her hand down his body. Danny closed his eyes in anticipation. He felt her hand graze his hard cock, her fingers gently cup his balls, then move around his hip to pinch his ass. Danny bit his lip to keep from crying out as she pressed her body tightly against his, serving as a distraction when her hand left his body and reached out behind him. Danny's lust filled mind was too slow to process the sound of the turning knob until he felt the ice cold water hit his back.

He yelped in surprise while Lindsay laughed. She quickly jumped out of the shower and snatched a towel, calling out as she left the bathroom, "Enjoy your cold shower cowboy."

Danny laughed at his cheeky wife and turned off the water. He could still hear Lucy's fussing over the monitor, and realized Lindsay had left it in the bathroom. Danny wrapped one of the hastily grabbed towels around his waist and listened to his wife and daughter.

"Hey baby girl," she cooed.

"Mommy, Mom-eee," Lucy called out. Danny could picture her chubby arms reaching out.

"Are you ready to get up?" Lindsay questioned, engaging her small daughter.

"Des."

Danny heard the ruffling of clothes and knew that Lindsay had scooped up Lucy, while managing to keep her towel wrapped around her body.

"I have a surprise for you. Guess who's home," Lindsay teased their daughter, "Daddy! Yeah!"

"Dad-eee!" cheered Lucy.

Danny smiled at their enthusiasm, still awed by the love his girls poured out to him. Perhaps even more surprising to him was his ability to return that love. He had never believed it when he heard someone say their 'heart was full' but now he understood. He was devoted to the woman that was his wife, his best friend, lover, confidant, and companion. Her happiness had become more important that anyone else's, including his own. Now, his daughter only served to strengthen that love and devotion. A very grateful husband and father made his way out of the bathroom to find his two favorite girls and spend the rest of the day with them.

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**Ok, there it is, my second attempt at 'the sex.' Be honest...**

**Thanks for reading!!!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A Quiet Goodbye**

**by: ioanhoratio**

**Thank you so much BabbleBaby, JESSMARY25, Dawni, madhatterette, afrozenheart412, Dine89, and laurzz. You guys are wonderful and the reviews are so encouraging and really mean a lot to me. Thank you!**

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**2W 1D**

She was late.

Lindsay ran her fingers through her hair in frustration. She was never going to make it to the lab on time with the way traffic was moving. Her foot itched to hit the accelerator and speed down the road, but the row of cars in front of her prevented that. Lindsay hated being late. Before Lucy had arrived, Lindsay could count on one hand the number of times she'd been late to work. Now, those numbers had more than doubled.

Lindsay's irritation was interrupted as her cell phone buzzed loudly, indicating she was receiving a call. Snatching the phone up she answered brightly, "Lindsay Messer."

"Hey babe," her husband's voice carried through.

Lindsay's shoulders sagged when she realized she wouldn't have to put up a happy front.

"Hey," she grunted.

Danny heard her lack of enthusiasm but didn't comment. He knew how much she hated being late, and knew it could put her into a funky mood. He'd learned it was better to just let her get over it rather than make it worse by getting involved so instead he told her, "Don't worry about comin' to the lab. We gotta scene to be at. I'm gonna text ya the address and you can meet us there, k?"

.

Lindsay huffed at the idea, simply because she was in a foul mood, but simply said, "Fine, see you there," and ended the call. A moment later her phone buzzed again, signaling the reception of Danny's text. She punched the address into her GPS and groaned. She was going to have to turn around and cut across traffic to get where she needed to go.

Despite the navigator's prediction of 5 minute travel time, it took Lindsay 20 before she was pulling up to the crime scene. Thankfully, it was obvious Danny had just arrived since he was still pulling his kit from the truck.

"Mornin' sweetheart," he called to her as she pulled up next to him.

Lindsay's response was a snort as she threw the car into park.

"O-kay," Danny mouthed, turning back to the truck--obviously her bad mood had not improved on the drive over. Danny busied himself, pulling out her kit, as he waited for his wife to climb out of her vehicle. He heard her approach, and turned to hand her kit to her.

"Thanks," she mumbled. He watched her set the kit on the ground and open it to put her car keys in one of the pockets as she usually did when something caught her eye.

"Oh Danny," she groaned.

"What?"

"Did you check my kit before you left?" Lindsay asked, her irritation clear.

Danny shrugged, knowing this wasn't going to end well for him, "Sorry babe. I just grabbed it and ran. I didn't think to check it. Why?"

"I don't have any gloves," Lindsay pointed out, her aggravation growing.

Danny let out a breath. "That's all? Jus' use a pair of mine," he reasoned.

Lindsay rolled her eyes. "Your's are too big for me. I hate having to work with gloves that are too big. I mean would it have killed you to take two seconds and check my kit?" she erupted, her tone petulant, "Is that so much to ask Danny? For you to take just a moment and make sure I have every thing I need? Why is that so difficult?"

"Hey," Danny snapped louder than he planned, glancing around to ensure he hadn't drawn attention to them he lowered his voice and asked, "I'm sorry I didn't check your kit, but what's with the attitude? Ya actin' like this is the worst thing in the world."

Lindsay felt her frustration grow at Danny's lack of true remorse. She slammed her kit closed and stood. "Just forget it," she growled, "apparently I'm being ridiculous."

"Linds," Danny sighed, "You know that's not what I was sayin'."

"Whatever," she grumbled, turning to walk away.

Danny ran a hand over his face, an outward manifestation of his exasperation. He could let her walk away, and just have her deal with whatever the hell is bothering her or he could go after her and try one more time to get her to tell him what the problem was. Letting her deal with it seemed the better option at first, but the more Danny thought about the next several hours processing the scene with Lindsay's cold shoulder and bad attitude, the less appealing that option was.

"Lindsay," he called after her, jogging to catch up, "hey, come on, wait jus' a sec."

Lindsay stopped and challenged, "What?"

"Look, we're about to go in there and face who knows what kinda violence and if ya want to keep your bad mood then that's up to you, but could you at least tell me what I did ta piss you off so bad?" he requested, doing his best to keep his voice even, "I'll fix it. Whatever it was, I'll fix it."

Lindsay felt her defensive stance relax, her angry energy draining away. She knew she was being irrational and her outlet was Danny--the one person she didn't have to be nice to all the time.

"Sorry," she offered, "You didn't do anything but cross my path. That seems to be enough today to piss me off. Lucy was in a fine mood this morning crying and screaming about nothing, then I popped a button on the shirt I was wearing, right before I walked out the door of course, so I had to change and was late leaving--ran out and forgot my bagel on the counter so no breakfast. I started my period this morning and am just feeling tired and bloated and over all just yucky. I'm sorry I made you my punching bag. As soon as I get distracted by work I'll calm down."

Danny frowned slightly and nodded, "A'right, I get it; a crappy start ta the day. Let me know if there's anything I can do, k?"

Lindsay managed a small smile. "Thanks Danny."

The couple--now slightly more relaxed--made their way over to the crime scene that was currently being taped off.

"Yo! The crime fighting duo," Don joked as they approached, "They sent out the big guns huh?"

Lindsay, incapable of taking her bad mood out on anyone other than her husband, did her best to smile brightly at Don but chose not to comment, allowing Danny to ask the important questions.

"So whadda we got Flack?"

"Gun shot victim, wallet's missin' so most likely a robbery. The guy's over here," Don indicated with the hand holding his coffee.

"A'right," Danny said then turned to Lindsay, "Ya wanna head over and start taking photos while I get a bit more information?"

"Sure," Lindsay shrugged taking the kit from him that included the camera. She then made her way around the building into the alley. As soon as she was out of ear shot Danny told Don, "Hey man, I need a favor."

"What's up?" Don asked seriously.

"I need a bagel," Danny answered just as seriously.

Don lowered his eyebrows in confusion. "What?"

"Come on, you know, a bagel. Actually it doesn't have to be a bagel. It can be a muffin, doughnut, apple, anything, you know, somethin' like that," Danny said.

"Mess, what the hell are ya talkin' about?" Don pressed.

"Linds missed breakfast this mornin' 'cause things got crazy with Lucy and I jus' wanna get'er somethin' ta eat," Danny confessed, the mumbled, "as a suprise, ta help'er feel better."

Don's face cleared and he had to lower his head slightly to keep his smile from antagonizing his friend. Once he had mastered his facial features, he clapped his friend on the should and said, "Don't worry about it. I'm on it."

"Thanks man," Danny said easily, pulling his wallet out. He handed Don a bill and instructed, "Here's a $20 and whatever ya can scrounge up will be great, but if possible try to avoid bran muffins. She's not a big fan of those."

"Sure," Don responded, taking the offered money, "I know where ta find ya."

"Thanks again, man," Danny said just before he headed over to the alley to help Lindsay begin processing.

Don chuckled at his friend. He had always liked Danny. They were good friends and had been through a lot. They had both changed and grown over the years. Sometimes that change can result if friendships falling away, but that hadn't been the case here. In fact, this version of Danny was probably Don's favorite--this Danny thought of others but still managed to be just as awkward as before. The result? Lots of entertainment for Don.

"Yo, Santini," Don called to the uniformed officer nearby, "I need a favor."

Fifteen minutes later Lindsay found herself standing in front of a dumpster. "You've got to be kidding me," she groaned, "Why? Why?"

"Ya a'right over there?" she heard her husband call.

"Just great," she answered sarcastically, "nothing like a grungy, dirty dumpster to improve a bad day."

"Well here, I'll make ya a deal. You eat this, I'll jump in the dumpster, and you make me dinner tonight?" he said into her ear.

Lindsay spun around, surprised at his close proximity. Her eyes were drawn to the white paper bag he held and the bottle of apple juice.

"Whadya think? Deal?" Danny asked as he handed her the bag and bottle. Lindsay took the proffered gifts and peeked inside the bag, seeing a huge, warm cinnamon bun.

"How did you..."

But Danny interrupted her, "Don't worry about that babe, just eat it, enjoy it, and know you've got an awesome husband."

Lindsay smiled, her first genuine smile all morning. "That I do," she agreed, "you name it, and I'll cook it." Their professional setting made any further form of gratitude inappropriate so she had to settle with a hand on his arm as she passed by him, stepping out of the crime area to scarf down her breakfast.

After that, the day began to fly by. They spent hours detailing and combing over the crime scene, trying to find anything that would clue them into finding out what had happened. That was followed by hours of analysis in the lab as they pieced together everything they had found.

"Alright, babe, I've got to be heading out," Lindsay finally declared, "Lucy is going to be wondering if she has parents."

"Plus, ya gotta pick up those steaks for dinner," Danny reminded her with a wink.

"And the potatoes," Lindsay added with a smile as she pulled her coat on. She stepped close to her husband and leaning in said softly, "Thank you for helping me have a better day." They shared a quick kiss.

"That's what I'm here for," he shrugged nonchalantly.

"Well it meant a lot to me," Lindsay told him, "Don't stay too much longer, ok?"

Danny nodded, "Love ya."

"Love you." With that she walked out of their office, deciding to make a pit stop before heading out of the building. She had been so busy she hadn't paid much attention to her body, but she realized she hadn't had to change her pad more than once that day, which was odd at the beginning of her period. Her quick trip to the bathroom confirmed that she wasn't really bleeding anymore. Lindsay's eyebrows furrowed. She knew her timing wasn't off, but if she hadn't started her period today then that meant...

she was late.

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**Thanks for reading!!!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A Quiet Goodbye**

**By: ioanhoratio**

**A/N: I need to thank DAnNSfreak and lastlovesangel! I also need to send a HUGE thanks to Lindsay1234, JESSMARY25, BabbleBaby, laurzz, rhymenocerous, Dine89,uscrocks, afrozenheart412, and webdlfan. The reviews have been phenomenal and filled with wonderful feedback! I can't thank you guys enough for the support for this story. Thank you again!**

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**3W 1D**

'I really need to clean that toilet,' Lindsay thought as she flushed away what should have been a filling breakfast.

"Better yet, I'll have Danny clean it," she mumbled to herself as she stood from her knelt position. Her stomach rolled and Lindsay feared a repeat performance was imminent. She forced herself to take deep breathes as she willed her insides to calm down. She turned on the faucet at the sink and used the cool water to splash her face and rinse her mouth. Once she was satisfied that she would no longer be putting her head into the toilet bowl and she had rid her mouth of the foul tasting stomach acids, she pulled open the bathroom door and came face to face with her husband. They stared at each other; a moment of silence that rang loudly with challenge. Danny folded his arms across his chest in defiance. Lindsay pretended not to notice.

"Baby doesn't like chocolate-chip pancakes huh?" Danny asked, his eyes narrowing.

Lindsay let out a huff of air and snapped, "It's just a stomach bug."

She pushed to walk past him, but Danny shot out his arm and stopped her. She knew what he was going to say. It had been the same thing everyday for the passed week, and as expect he said, "Take the test."

"I'm not pregnant," Lindsay insisted just as she did every time he brought it up.

"Not pregnant?" Danny scoffed, "Babe, you're over a week late, you've had the stomach bug for three days now." Danny raised his fingers and used them to make quotation marks when he said the word stomach bug.

Lindsay made an irritated grunting noise.

"And," Danny continued, "You've been grumpy as hell."

Lindsay narrowed her eyes at him. She pushed his arm away with deliberate force, and walked away in silence.

"Take the test!" Danny called after her then turned to make sure Lucy hadn't gorged herself on the sweet pancakes. He definitely didn't need two grumpy, puking girls.

He didn't know why Lindsay was being so stubborn. She just kept insisting her period would come, and that would be that, but _that_ had been a week ago. Danny thought back to that night.

He had come home from work tired and hungry. Mac had shown up in his office just as he was about to leave and reminded Danny that the driving log and gas receipts were due. Danny had forgotten and was held up for 30 minutes trying to get everything filled out and turned in.

The aromas that had greeted him when he had finally arrived home had sent his mouth watering. He'd dropped his bag, and made a straight line for the kitchen where he'd found Lindsay, with Lucy perched on her hip, absentmindedly stirring the mashed potatoes and starring off into space. It had actually been Lucy who had spotted him first, her wiggling and squeals of "Dad-eeee" had pulled Lindsay back to reality.

Danny had swung Lucy into his arms, and hugged her tightly. The toddler had tugged on his ear and grinned, settling herself on his hip.

"Somethin' smells good," he'd observed turning to his wife, "Sorry I'm late, got held up by paperwork."

Lindsay had nodded slowly seeming to not have registered his words.

"Yo, Linds?"

"I'm late," she had blurted suddenly.

Danny had given her a confused look. "What? No, Lindsay I said sorry I'm late," he'd pointed out.

"What?" Lindsay had asked, focusing her full attention on him for the first time since his arrival home, "Danny I said I'm late."

"I know," Danny had frowned, "but I thought we were talkin' about me bein' late."

"_You_ being late? Danny, what kind of sense does that make?" Lindsay had asked perplexed.

Danny had given a slight head shake. "Ok, let's start this again. I walked in and apologized for bein' late 'cause I got hung up with paperwork," he'd explained.

"Oh," Lindsay had breathed, understanding dawning.

"What were you talking about?" Danny had pressed.

She'd removed the pot of potatoes from the stove and had turned to face him directly causing Lucy to reach out for the spoon Lindsay still held.

"No baby, hot," Lindsay had warned.

"Ha," Lucy had tried.

"That's right, hot," Lindsay had praised as she instead handed Lucy a roll to munch on and to distract her from wanting the spoon.

"Linds," Danny had prompted when it became apparent Lindsay wasn't going to answer his question.

"I said I'm late, as in _late_," Lindsay had offered, her voice placing emphasis on the last word.

Danny's surprise had registered on his face. "I...wait, as in you're pregnant?"

Lindsay had just shrugged.

"I'm confused. I thought you said you'd started ya period this mornin'," Danny had reasoned.

"I thought I had, I had all the symptoms," Lindsay had defended, "but now I'm not sure. I may have just been spotting, you know? I doubled checked, and I actually should have started yesterday so technically I'm only about two days late."

"A'right," Danny had said slowly, his mind doing its best to wrap itself around what Lindsay was telling him. Lucy, sensing the tension surrounding her, had chosen that moment to try and shove the now soggy piece of bread into her father's mouth.

"Mmm...," Danny had tried to sound enthusiastic, "Thank you for sharing Luce but you eat it, 'k?"

Lucy had grinned at him and pulled the bread back to her lips.

"You know what? I'm probably just being silly," Lindsay had suggested, "I guess it just caught me off guard today and I over-reacted. Ignore me."

"Sure Linds, I'll just ignore the possibility that we might be having another child," Danny had said sarcastically.

Lindsay had just smiled at him.

"Why don't ya just get a test tomorrow and find out?"

Lindsay had shook her head, "Nah, why waste the money? I'll start my period and that will be that. Now put Lucy in her chair while I pull these steaks out and we'll eat."

Danny had given her an incredulous look.

She had reached out to touch his arm. "Seriously Danny, two days late is nothing. I shouldn't have even said anything."

"A'right," Danny had nodded, "we'll wait, but Lindsay, for the record I'm glad you said somethin'."

Now, days later, Danny was sitting with Lucy at the kitchen table finishing breakfast trying to figure out why his wife refused to take the pregnancy test. She had brushed off his attempts to talk about it, and Danny hadn't been ready to jump into a confrontation with her. He was getting to the point though where he was done waiting. Everything was indicative of another baby, and Danny wanted to know.

"A'right baby girl, I promise ya that by the end of the day we are gonna know if you're gonna be a big sista," he whispered to his daughter.

Lucy looked at him, her chocolate covered face a nearly perfect mirror of his own, and asked, "Meel?"

"Milk huh? I tell ya you might be a big sister and you want milk?" Danny teased.

Lucy nodded energetically, accidentally tossing a wad of pancake on the floor.

"Yep," Danny said with resignation.

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Lindsay sat at her desk in the office she shared with her husband. More specifically she sat staring at the pregnancy test that was hiding in her top drawer. It lay there taunting her, the lettering on the box promising 98% accuracy. Lindsay had been momentarily surprised when she had yanked open the drawer to grab a pen and found the box, but that surprise had given way to irritation. She didn't need to rely on her years of criminal investigating to figure out how the box got there. Danny had been nagging her to take the test since she'd blurted out about the possibility of being pregnant. Lindsay was afraid to exam why she kept putting it off, and she knew Danny's patience wasn't going to last much longer.

She slammed the drawer shut with a frustrated scoff.

"Problems?" a friendly voice asked.

Lindsay whipped around, startled by the intrusion, and saw Stella standing in the doorway.

"Whoa, sorry Lindsay; didn't mean to scare you," Stella offered as she walked into the room, her hands raised slightly.

Lindsay blushed at being caught having an emotional reaction, but smiled despite her situation. "No, my fault—don't tell Mac I was daydreaming."

"My lips are sealed," Stella joked sitting in Danny's chair, "but can I ask what you were staring at so intently? You seemed like you could use a friend to talk to."

Lindsay leaned back in her chair and took a deep breath. She fought an inner battle for a moment. She wasn't sure if it was fair to talk to Stella about this before she and Danny had talked. Danny was her best friend and she knew she could talk to him about anything but if she was pregnant than that would impact his life as well. Maybe she needed a third party, someone who wouldn't be as emotionally involved, to help her sort through her thoughts.

Stella could see several different emotions play out across Lindsay face. Whatever was bothering her young friend obviously was serious. "Hey Linds, if you're not comfortable talking about it or want to tell me it's none of my business that's ok too. I understand," Stella said, trying to relieve some of the tension.

"Thanks Stella," Lindsay answered, "I was trying to figure out it if it was inappropriate to talk about."

Stella's eyebrows shot up in question.

"Not _that_ kind of inappropriate," Lindsay rushed to assure her, "I just mean, it's something Danny and I need to take care of together and I didn't know if it went against some cosmic marriage rule if I talk about it with you before he and I had a chance to discuss it."

Stella tried to make sense of what Lindsay was telling her, but with limited details it was difficult to follow. "Maybe if you speak hypothetically?" Stella suggested, doing her best to help.

Lindsay couldn't help the snort of laughter that escaped, "You mean like 'I've got a friend in New Jersey?' kind of hypothetical?"

Stella too laughed at the memory of Lindsay trying to ask Stella about being pregnant and working in the lab while trying not to let on that she, Lindsay, was actually the pregnant one. "Yeah, something like that. So as long as you aren't pregnant we should be ok," Stella asserted with a cheeky grin. Her grin slipped slightly when she saw the look of uncertainty on her friend's face.

"Wait, let me guess. You've got this friend in New Jersey," Stella deadpanned.

Lindsay nodded her head slowly.

"You're kidding," Stella insisted.

Lindsay leaned forward and opened the desk drawer. She pulled out the box and set it on the desk where Stella could get a clear view of what it was.

"Wow, you're not kidding," Stella observed. Lindsay snatched the box up and shoved it back in the drawer.

"So, you are pregnant or you think you're pregnant?" Stella asked.

"I'm not sure yet," Lindsay answered slowly. She fiddled for a moment with one of her nails then threw her hands up in defeat and cried, "Stella I don't know what's wrong with me."

"Ok kiddo time to start explaining," Stella commanded, "Let's start with how much Danny knows. You mentioned not wanting to talk before you talked to him. Does he know about this?"

"Who do you think bought me the test?"

"OK, so he knows you might be pregnant, but you haven't actually taken the test yet, right?"

"Right," Lindsay nodded.

Stella gave Lindsay a perplexed look. "Well, why not?"

Lindsay groaned and rested her forehead on her desk then mumbled in an exasperated voice, "I don't know!"

Stella rested an elbow on the desk and leaned her head against it studying Lindsay's posture. It was clear she was dealing with something but Stella had yet to figure out what was really bothering her friend. "Was Danny upset at the idea? Are you afraid he'll be upset?" Stella asked, trying to pinpoint the problem.

"No!" Lindsay argued, her head snapping up, "No, not at all. I don't think Danny could be any more excited at the prospect."

"Then what?" Stella pushed.

"I…I just…I don't…I don't know how to say this without sounding like a terrible mother," Lindsay stammered, her shame ringing clear.

"Oh," Stella said simply, understanding dawning, "this is what you haven't talked to Danny about yet."

Lindsay nodded miserably.

Stella wet her lips with her tongue and thought for a moment then said, "Linds, I'm your friend here. I think you a fantastic mother and am amazed at how you have kept your family together and going strong through some pretty tough times. Nothing you could say would ever make me think you are a bad mother. It sounds like you need to get something off your chest so you can move forward. I will listen, free of any judgments and even free of advise if all you need is someone to listen."

Lindsay felt her throat clog as she realized Stella meant every word she had said. It meant a lot to Lindsay that she had a friend to talk to. She swallowed down the impulse to give into to tears and cleared her throat. Once she felt she had a decent handle on her emotions she started talking.

"This is a surprise to us," Lindsay explained, "we weren't planning on another baby right now. I mean Danny hasn't even been out of his wheelchair for a year. Insurance covered most of Lucy's birth but between her doctor's visits, my doctor's visits, Danny's surgery, therapy and follow-up appointments we'll be paying medical bills for the next 10 years, and we're going to add to that with another pregnancy? Another child? I know money isn't everything but I can't help thinking about that stuff. And what about our apartment? Do we have room for another baby? It cost a lot of money to move and get a new apartment, or what if we decided to get a house? That requires a lot of planning and thinking financially. Not to mention Lucy still doesn't sleep through the night most nights. Working and taking care of her is a lot to deal with. How can I deal with another baby? I'm exhausted and it's only going to get worse. It was hard being pregnant and working before but now I will be pregnant and working and taking care of a toddler—an active toddler. I can't imagine how it's going to work."

Stella gave Lindsay a small understanding smile. Lindsay was carrying the weight of worry on her shoulders. "I know that sounds like a lot Lindsay, but Danny will be there to help," Stella prompted gently.

Lindsay lowered her head, preventing Stella from being able to see her face. When Lindsay didn't respond Stella asked, "Right?"

"That's what we thought with Lucy," Lindsay said quietly, her face still hidden.

"What do you mean?"

Lindsay raised her head, her eyes meeting Stella's. "Danny is an amazing father, Stell. I don't want you to think I don't know that, but when he was shot I took a lot of the responsibility for Lucy on my shoulders. I was up with her night after night. I was giving her baths, washing her clothes, doing the dishes, rocking her, holding her, playing with her, taking her to the park. I went from having Danny to help with everything to having to do most of it on my own and then on top of that having to help Danny with a lot of things he needed to do every day. It was a lot to deal with, and I'm not blaming Danny. I know much it hurt him to know that he couldn't help around the house as much and that I was bringing in the income. I'm not angry at what happened or the situation, but even now I don't know how I got through it with such little sleep and so much stress. And right now, that's all I find myself focusing on when I think of another baby. I want to be happy about it, but I don't know how to not think about those things. I don't know how to talk about this with Danny without making him feel bad for what happened. I just…" Lindsay felt her throat constrict with guilt and shame but forced out, "I'm afraid…what if…what if I find out for sure that I'm pregnant and I don't…I can't or aren't able…"

"Lindsay," Stella interrupted carefully, "Can you not find the words or can you not bring yourself to say it?"

Lindsay pressed her lips together tightly as she considered Stella's question. She knew the words; the words that could communicate her deepest, darkest fear that because of everything she'd been through she wouldn't be happy about this baby or that worse, she wouldn't be able to love this baby like it deserves to be loved.

Stella saw Lindsay's pain clearly now. "Lindsay, you can't bring yourself to say it because you know it can't be true. Now I'm not going to pretend I know what impending motherhood feels like, but I can say I recognize being overwhelmed. Sometimes I think when it gets too much our mind will turn off our emotions for a moment and we go numb. I know that when you're able to take a step back and let your heart and mind catch up with each other you'll be able to see things differently."

Lindsay frowned slightly. Stella was right. She hadn't allowed herself to feel any real emotions about the baby; her mind had become consumed with every thing _except _the little life that could be growing inside her. The little person with a little nose, little toes, and what will certainly be a big personality. She hadn't thought about Lucy being a big sister, or Danny holding the tiny infant in his arms in the loving way he had held Lucy. She hadn't thought about the soft skin of her newborn against her skin, or the empowerment of feeling those rosebud lips against her breast.

Stella watched as Lindsay's frown slowly morphed into a soft, secret smile.

"Thanks, Stella," Lindsay said honestly, "I needed a little perspective."

"Anytime," Stella answered happily. She stood to leave, but paused to add, "And by the way, I think you already know."

At Lindsay's confused look Stella pointed to the cup sitting on Lindsay's desk. It was usually filled with coffee, but it currently had the string of a tea bag hanging over the side. Lindsay smirked. She may not have been willing to consider the possibility of her pregnancy consciously but it was obvious she had already accepted it. She hadn't even blinked that morning when she had passed over the coffee pot for the more gentle and baby friendly tea.

"Oh, and tell that friend of yours congratulations," Stella added with a wink before exiting.

Lindsay laughed; a light, carefree sound.

* * *

**Thanks for reading!!!**

**This chapter got a little longer than I originally planned so I split it into two parts. The next part is Danny and Lindsay finding out for sure! (P.S. afrozenheart412—I promise Lindsay's reaction in the next chapter will reflect your hopes from your review of the last chapter! ^_^)**


	4. Chapter 4

**A Quiet Goodbye**

**Part 4**

**by: ioanhoratio**

**A/N: Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out. I started working on it two weeks ago but I live in Nashville and literally less than a mile down the road from a serious flood area. It has been a crazy week and a half, but I was strongly encouraged to get this chapter posted (thanks daytimedream LOL!). Despite everything I've had to deal with, it is nothing compared to those who lost their homes, cars or jobs. So as silly as it sounds working on this story reminded me how lucky my family was. Thanks as well to eealbreacht07, Ditto123, crazymoo97, Dine89, jorizo, dizzygirl1464, afrozenheart412, uscrocks, and BabbleBaby! You guys rock! (And I promise those who reviewed will get a response from me--sorry to be such a slow poke!)**

**3W 1D**

Danny Messer wanted to shout.

It was a response born of a childhood filled with shouting. He couldn't think of a time when his mom and dad had resolved an issue at a decent decibel. Every disagreement or argument had been a shouting match as they fought to drown each other out. As a result, he and Louie had learned to shout back. They had been taught that if you wanted to be heard then you had better say it louder than the person next to you, and Danny had learned well. He could drown out his father's accusations, his mother's nagging, Louie's teasing and sometimes his own better angels. He had gone round after round with girlfriend after girlfriend--turning it into a form of foreplay which would either lead to passionate, wild make-up sex or his entire CD collection being smashed into thousands of little pieces. He had shouted at bosses, co-workers, teammates, coaches, suspects, lawyers, doctors, perps, teachers, taxicab drivers, and the list went on and on, but all that changed when Lindsay had permanently taken residence in his life.

She hated yelling. She had been raised to believe that one only shouted when one was in trouble and needed help. Working around animals meant staying calm and keeping a cool head. In all their years together Danny had never shouted at her. He had been upset with her, frustrated, irritated and short with her, argued either her, even raised their voices on occasion, but never a knock-down-drag-out-neighbors beating on the walls telling you to shut up-red-faced screaming match.

Lindsay preferred the power of silence to shouting and it drove him crazy. Danny never thought he would live without shouting, but if he told the truth he didn't believe he could ever bring himself to treat Lindsay that way--or Lucy. His temper was not without limitations, and he still had no problem yelling at some of the idiots he dealt with on a daily basis but when it came to his girls he was an utter push over. There was nothing they could do that would ever entice him to start hollering at them. And right now, that was pissing Danny the hell off.

He stood, pacing the living room floor, his body tense and eager to engage in the response of the past. Even after a day spent chasing and playing with Lucy, Danny's body was wound up with nervous energy. Despite his current predicament, Danny allowed a small smile. He knew anybody looking on from the outside would assume this loud city boy and this quiet country girl would never make it work; he and Lindsay didn't even argue the same way. Danny delighted in proving them wrong. He and his wife had learned to take their differences and use them to balance each other out. Now Danny thought before reacting--keeping him from flying off the handle as often--and Lindsay was learning to not internalize her anger. They had managed to grasp a concept that seemed to elude most couples; they knew how important it was to see and accept the flaws in each other and then work together to overcome those flaws. While the concept was well grasped the execution at times could be elusive and like any couple they had days when homicide seemed preferable to matrimony, but for the most part Danny was proud of how far they'd come in their relationship.

However, that feeling of accomplishment was short lived as Danny was brought back to the reality of his current situation. Lindsay had come home from work tired, and moody and just as she had done the last several days in a row she avoided his attempts to discuss the possibility of a baby. While Danny had learned how destructive his parents behavior had been--shouting and screaming at each other--right now he felt that was preferable over the silence. The quiet that he was getting from her was driving him insane, and his frustration was turning into anger. That was something Danny wanted to avoid, so he had allowed her space and time but she was one half of a couple and it was time for Danny to be a little selfish. It was his baby too and Danny wanted to know, so he paced back and forth as he waited for his wife to make her way back into the living room. He could hear Lucy's whining begin to die down as she lost the battle with sleep, and it wasn't long before Lindsay made her way into the living room.

Danny's instinct to dive right into what he wanted to talk about ebbed away as he saw how tired and exhausted she looked; her face tense, her shoulder hunched, her hair limp for a long day. They stared at each other, a moment of confrontation--and silence. Danny felt a bit of his anger return; he hated that damn silence.

"Lindsay," he started.

"Danny," she began.

"No, you listen to me," he interrupted, "I have sat here and I have waited. I have been patient. I have given you time and space. I haven't pushed for you to talk to me about what is goin' on in that head of yours. I thought you maybe you just needed some time in your own thoughts or soemthin' but you're not talkin' to me and it upsets me Lindsay. A'right? I don't know why you won't talk about this," his frustration grew as he struggled to communicate his concerns, "And ya know what? I'm done with the silent treatment 'k? I am done with you pushin' me away and puttin' me off. So we are gonna talk about this right now or we are gonna have a big problem, understand?"

"Danny," Lindsay tried again but he ignored her.

"Are you really so upset about the idea of another baby? I know you were worried about tellin' me about Lucy but I thought this time would be different, ya know? That you and I knew we were in this together, and we could be happy about this. I missed this part with Lucy. I wasn't there when you waited for the test to show whether or not we were gonna have a baby. I missed the first two doctors appointments, I missed the first ultra-sound. I wasn't there to hold your hand and to share in those first few weeks and I know that was my own fault, I do and I regret not bein' there for those things. Please Lindsay, please talk to me because it is killin' me to think that you don't want those things with me." He finished softly, almost shyly. Danny wasn't one who easily shared his emotions and even with Lindsay it was hard to admit when he was afraid, and right now with the absence of any reasonable explanation of her behavior he was left with his own imagination--and his was running wild with possibilities.

Lindsay felt her defensive stance weaken as the realization that Danny believed her reticent behavior stemmed from him somehow. She quickly made her way across the room to him, took his hand in hers and silently tugged him over to the couch. They sat facing each other, their knees touching, as she continued to hold onto his hand.

Looking directly into his eyes she said, "I do want those things with you Danny." A small smile spread across her face. "I can't think of anything in this world I want more than to experience those things with you and I'm sorry I haven't shown you that. I just...I needed a little perspective to remind me of what's important."

"I don't understand Linds," Danny told her honestly.

"I know," Lindsay breathed. She struggled for a moment, her words and thoughts mixed with emotions and memories. "Danny, I spent the last few days being overwhelmed at the idea of a new baby."

She felt his body tense at her admission. She soothed gently as she allowed her thumb to rub the back of his hand, calming him as she did with Lucy.

"I got stuck in super mommy overdrive thinking about everything that came with a new baby--the stress, the lack of sleep, the cost, the fact that we will have two kids to take care of, and it just went on and on in my head," she confessed.

"So...you don't want the baby?" Danny asked quietly, hesitantly.

"I do!" Lindsay assured him forcefully, "I do Danny, of course I do. I guess I just needed a few days of panic to help me realize it's ok for me to relax and enjoy this. Does that make sense?"

Danny frowned slightly, "Uh...not really babe."

Lindsay moved from her position on the couch and climbed easily into his lap; her back against the arm rest and her legs spread across the cushions of the couch. Danny said nothing as he adjusted his body to accommodate her invasion of his personal space, wrapping his arms loosely around her body.

Once she was sure they were both comfortable, she leaned her head against his shoulder and gave him a small kiss against the skin of his neck.

"I can sit here and tell you everything I thought about over the last week or you can be content with me telling you that I worked out my problem, and now I can't wait to find out if I am carrying your baby," Lindsay offered.

Danny thought for a moment. He wanted to know what her problem had been, but he got the sense from her that it wasn't important for him to know the details.

"I guess I just have one question," Danny decided.

"Ok."

"Was it something I did?" he asked her sincerely.

Lindsay lifted her head off his shoulder and turned to him, cupping his face in her hands and answered, "No."

"And your excited about the prospect of a new baby?"

"Absolutely."

"So ya want to take the pregnancy test now?"

"I will pee on any stick you give me," she promised cheekily.

"Good enough for me," Danny stated. He brought an arm under her legs and the other he secured on her lower back. He then slid forward to the edge of the couch and stood, cradling her to his chest.

Lindsay wrapped her arms around his neck tightly and squealed, "Danny! What are you doing?"

"What do you think I'm doin' Montana?" he asked as he carried her down the hall to their bathroom. He set her down once he had reached his destination and crouched down in front the cabinet under his sink. He rummaged around for a moment the stood and handed an amused Lindsay a pink box.

"You know Danny, I should really do this in the morning," she pointed out and laughed at Danny's dejected face.

"Higher concentrate of hCG," she explained.

"Montana," he whined, "I've got three more under the sink so if you want to take those in the morning you can but I really think ya should go ahead and use this one."

Lindsay chose to ignore the fact that Danny had bought five pregnancy tests and instead began opening the box. Danny folded his arms over his chest and leaned against the counter, waiting.

Once Lindsay had the test out of the box she turned to Danny expectantly, "You going to let me take the test?"

"Oh, sure," he stepped away from the counter, clearing the way for her to go to the toilet, and the leaned against the door frame looking at her.

"Are you seriously going to stand there and watch me pee on this?"

"First of all, you kept me waiting for over a week and I was a very good and patient husband, secondly, I already told you I want to be here for every step. Now would you just pee on the damn thing already?" Danny growled playfully.

"Alright, alright. We are not going to tell anyone about this however," Lindsay grumbled.

"How much longer?" Danny asked.

"Oh my gosh, you just asked me Danny."

"But that was forever ago. How much longer?"

"Well let's see, you asked me 30 seconds ago and we had two minutes left so I'm going to go with a minute and a half."

"A'right wise ass," Danny said poking her in the side. They sat side by side on the bathroom floor as they waited for the test results. "Did it feel like this long the last time?"

"Longer," she answered honestly.

Danny took her hand in his, "I'm sorry I wasn't there."

"Hey," she said softly, "none of that. We are here together now. That's all that matters."

Danny was silent a moment, then, "How long now?"

Lindsay rolled her eyes, "Why was I so worried about another kid? I already have two."

"Hey!"

But Danny indignation was cut off as the timer on his cell phone went off indicating the end of their five minute waiting period. Danny jumped to his feet and then pulled Lindsay up.

With no delay he looked at the stick sitting on the counter.

"Linds, look," his voice oddly gruff.

_**pregnant**_

No more words were needed as the two pulled each other close, smiling and kissing. Danny tucked his wife tightly against his body, his heart full of love and his mind filled with images of the tiny baby that would soon be added to their family. They stood in silence, cherishing the gift they had been given. With his wife tightly wrapped in his arms, Danny relished in the quiet.

**Thanks for reading!!!**

**I know we aren't to the meaty part of the story yet but I want to make sure the lighter/happier side is part of the story. No one begins a pregnancy expecting the worse so I think the fluff is important to telling this story. (It's not me just dragging this out LOL!) Trust me, we will get to the heavy stuff soon enough. Sorry if this is filled with errors, my eyes feel like cotton balls but I promised to get this posted! ^_^  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**A Quiet Goodbye**

**Part 5**

**By: ioanhoratio**

**A/N I have been working on this chapter for about two weeks! Every time I sat down to work on it I'd get about a paragraph or two done and then fall asleep with my computer in my lap! LOL! (Hopefully this chapter doesn't put you to sleep ^_^) Thanks so much for those who have taken the time leave a review. It is so wonderful to hear your thoughts and ideas and perspectives. Thank you danni-s-, drvvh, buddymt96, and a big'o thanks to BabbleBaby, uscrocks, rhymenocerous, laurzz, Dine89, jorizo, and afrozenheart412 for your reviews and encouragement. Watch out below, a ton of fluff!**

**4W 3D**

It was a wet and humid day in New York City, and Danny Messer was ready to find a shower to wash away the sweat and heat. That was going to have to wait however, since he and Sheldon Hawkes were currently looking for a bullet. Their latest victim had been found face down in an alley behind a Thai restaurant. The smell of the wet pavement, curry and blood filled the air making Danny nauseous, and desperate to find the little piece of metal that would help them solve the case.

"I may never eat Thai again," Hawkes complained as they continue to move slowly down the alley. The rain had washed much of their crime scene away, and they were desperate to discover any evidence that could shed some light on who their murderer was.

Danny nodded, "You said it buddy. I don't think I've ever smelled anything so bad and that's including Lucy's diapers, and trust me when I say those can be foul."

Hawkes laughed as he wiped droplets of sweat from his brow then added, "I don't know what's worse the smell or the heat."

"I'm tellin' ya Doc, there are day's when I think it might not be so bad to find a new career, ya know?" Danny grumbled.

"Ah, man," Hawkes groaned, "This has gotta be one of those days for sure. I just found a pile of vomit. Which one of us is gonna poke through it to see in the bullet is in there?"

Danny threw his hands in the air and stepped back, "Ya go for it Doc. You found it, you can search it."

"Not so fast Messer, we'll shoot for it; rock, paper, scissors," Hawkes demanded.

The two men squared their shoulders and took a deep breath and counted, "One, two, three, shoot."

"Yes!" Hawkes cried victoriously as his scissors beat Danny's paper then teased, "Let's face it, after months of Lucy's diapers you're more qualified to deal with this mess anyway."

Danny rolled his eyes as he made his way towards the offensive smelling pile. Just as he was about the begin his examination he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. Perfectly willing to put off having to delve into the puke, Danny backed away and pulled his phone out. He opened the text message from Lindsay:

_I know you're at a scene but wanted to tell you. Just left the clinic. It's official-our family is growing!_

Danny's face spilt into a huge grin as he texted back:

_Wow! Call you as soon as I get away from here. I love you._

Danny wanted desperately to call her, but knew Mac was already making allowances for their relationship so he slid his phone back into his pocket and happily pulled on his gloves.

"You gotta tell me what put a smile like that on your face considering where we are," Hawkes charged him, pulling him from his thoughts.

"Oh...ah...well," Danny stammered. He and Lindsay hadn't discussed when, who and how they were going to tell people the news, but the joy that filled his soul at the official confirmation prevented him from keeping the news to himself, "We jus' found out that Lindsay's pregnant again. We're gonna have another baby." If possible, Danny's grin grew even larger as he bounced slightly on the balls of his feet.

"No way!" Hawkes enthused as he wrapped his arm around Danny for a strong, manly hug. He pulled away, but not before giving Danny a slap on the back. "Congratulations brother, that's awesome!"

"Yo, Messer, Hawkes," Don Flack called from the alley's entrance, "Will you guys hurry it up. It's hotter than hell out here and nobody's seen nothin' an' I got this lady from the Thai place screamin' at me to get you guys outta her hair."

"Hold your horses Flack," Hawkes yelled back to the approaching detective, "Danny just found out he's gonna be a father again."

Don immediately turned his attention to the CSI that had been his best friend for years. The closer he got the clearer he could see the smile on Danny's face, confirming Hawkes statement.

"Dude, Lindsay's pregnant?" he asked.

"Did you expect someone else to be pregnant?" Danny teased his pal.

"That's not what I meant ya mook," Don joked back, "It's jus' amazin' that she's stayed with your ugly mug long enough to have another baby."

Danny took the dig easily and said, "Ya don't have to tell me. I can't believe I got lucky enough to get her and Lucy and now I get to have another daughter or maybe this time a little boy." At the mention of his future, Danny's mind was suddenly filled with the images of a little girl toddling after her big sister or a baby boy tugging on Lucy's hair.

"That's all we need; another Messer male runnin' wild in New York," Don retorted but then added, "But seriously, congrats Danny. Lucy is one cute cookie and she'll be a great big sister."

Danny felt his chest fill with parental pride. He knew the ribbing he got from his friends and co-workers was all in good fun, and he also knew that each had a personal crisis that had prevented them from experiencing the blessings he now woke up to every morning. So he took their poking fun and teasing and he took it with pride.

"A'right, let's get this scene wrapped up 'cause I gotta wife I'm diein' to call," he declared.

* * *

"Look at this one Lucy," Lindsay prompted her baby girl, holding up the pink shirt with yellow writing, "Don't you think this one is cute? Do you think this will work to tell Pappy, Gram, Grandma, and Granddady our news?"

The small child stared at her mother from her seat in the Target shopping cart, oblivious to the change that was taking place in her family. She saw the pink shirt and reached for it crying, "Pap! Gra!"

Lindsay laughed at Lucy's enthusiasm, "That's right baby girl! Your grandparents are going to be so excited."

Lindsay thought back for a moment to the time she realized she was pregnant with Lucy and how different it had been. She and Danny had been so nervous to tell their parents. Lindsay had been worried that the Messers would hate her, and that her own parents would be disappointed in her. Danny hadn't been too concerned about how his parents would react. He knew his mom would give him a hard time about not being married, but that she would be too excited at the prospect of a grandbaby to give him too much grief. He had been more afraid of the Monroes. She remembered how they had sat griping each other's hand as they waited for her parents to react over the phone.

Lindsay shook her head. That felt like a lifetime ago, and now Lucy was probably the most adored grandchild on the planet. Danny would tell her that her grandparents loved her so much that their love spanned the country. And this time Lindsay couldn't wait to give them the news, and she knew exactly how she was going to do it. She absently rubbed a hand over her still flat belly and smiled. She had a quick stop in at the clinic that morning to have them draw blood, and verify the pregnancy. Her joy had filled her up in ways she never believed possible. She had thought life couldn't be any more rewarding than it was right now with her husband and daughter, but hearing the doctor confirm that a new little life was growing inside her had touched a part of her heart she didn't even know was dormant. It was a special part that had been reserved for this baby. Lindsay wanted everyone to be apart of that wonderful feeling.

She threw the shirt into the cart along with her other purchases, and headed towards the check-out. As they stood waiting their turn, Lindsay was busy keeping Lucy distracted from the brightly packaged candy that was just out of the toddler's reach but definitely in her eye sight. Lindsay felt her phone buzz, and pulled it out of her pocket. The screen was filled with a photo of her husband cradling a new-born Lucy close to his chest. She knew she should probably update the photo id since it was nearly two years old, but Lindsay still loved seeing that image whenever Danny called.

"Hey," she greeted him, barely containing her excitement.

"Hey, yaself," he responded. She could tell from his tone that he too was smiling hugely.

"So, what's up?" she asked, playfully avoiding the topic she knew was foremost on their minds.

Danny, quickly picking up on her teasing, said, "Oh, nothin' much. Jus' finished up a scene and headin' back to the lab. Same old, same old. You and Lucy doin' anything excitin'?"

Lindsay shrugged, even though she knew he couldn't see her, and replied lazily, "Not really. We went to the library this morning for story time, swung by Target to grab a few things and...hmm...there was one more thing we did today. What was that Lucy? Huh? What did we do today that Mommy's forgetting?"

Lucy just ignored her mom since her focus was on trying to grab the bag of candy. Lindsay gently swatted her hand away from the sugary confection and shook her head. Lucy pulled her arm back with a huff and glared at her mom.

Lindsay's state of euphoria was not easily deterred, and she simply gave Lucy an indulgent smile and cooed, "Oh that's right. We found out you're going to be a big sister." Then she couldn't resist adding, "And it's all Uncle Mac's fault."

She heard Danny's indignant, "WHAT?" come through the phone. The customer in front of her turned slightly with a raised eyebrow.

Lindsay tried desperately to swallow down her laughter but a few escaped and Lucy, distracted momentarily by her mother's happiness, laughed along.

"Well, it _was_ Mac who sent you home early that day, if you recall," Lindsay pointed out to him.

"Montana, you are one evil woman, ya know that?" Danny chuckled, "Let there be no confusion; that is my baby."

Lindsay heard a "Congratulations" shouted from someone over the phone.

"Was that Hawkes?" she asked.

"Yep. We're headin' back to the lab now. I sorta...I sorta told him about the baby," Danny confessed, "I just got so excited."

Lindsay felt like her face was going to split in two and her smile only grew. "Don't worry about it. I know exactly how you feel. I kinda told Stella. Just don't tell anyone else yet, ok. I want to be there."

Her comment was met with silence, and Lindsay knew Danny was trying to think of a way to get out of something he'd done.

"Danny?"

She heard him clear his throat, "Oh...well...ya see...um...Don was there too, so he knows, but that's all. I swear. I'll swear these guys to secrecy, and then well tell everyone else together," he promised in a rush.

Lindsay rolled her eyes and shook her head and just said, "Ok. Hey, don't eat lunch. Luce and I are leaving the store and we'll swing by and grab a sandwich, and come eat with you at the lab. I have this driving urge to see you."

"Yeah, ya do," Danny crowed arrogantly, "I'll see you in a bit. I love you so much Lindsay."

"I love you too Danny," she answered. She ended the call and slid the phone back into her pocket and turned her attention to Lucy.

"You little stinker," she cried with a laugh. Lucy sat grinning at her with a slobbered cover bag of M&Ms hanging out of her mouth, "Well I guess we can't put that back huh? You know what baby girl, today I'm not going to worry about it. Let's go get some lunch, and eat with Daddy. What do you say?"

"Daddee!" Lucy clapped, the bag still clench in her teeth, "M's?"

Lindsay gave a contented sigh, "I guess a few M&Ms before lunch won't hurt, but don't expect this to be a normal thing little miss."

Lucy grinned and kicked her legs excitedly.

"That's the spirit baby girl!"

* * *

"We've got Adam running ballistics, and Flack is bringing in the vic's sister to identify the body," Hawkes explained to Mac as he and Danny continued to brief him on the case.

"Did you find any usable prints?" Mac addressed Danny. His question was met with silence, and the older man brought his head up from the report he was reading. Danny had his head turned, looking towards the elevators.

"Danny?" Mac tried again, his voice firm.

"What?" Danny asked bringing his focus on Mac's face then blushed and stammered, "Uh...I'm sorry Mac. What?"

"I asked if you found any usable prints," Mac said slowly.

"Oh, uh, not any at the scene, but Sid is scheduled to perform the autopsy this afternoon, and I'm gonna process his clothes after lunch," Danny explained but again turned his head away when he heard the ding of the elevator. When two lab techs walked off he turned back immediately.

"Is there a problem Danny?" Mac asked, his patience thinning at Danny distracted state. He saw Hawkes in his peripheral vision cover his mouth with his hand to hide his smile.

"No," Danny rushed to reassure him, "Sorry Mac, I'm just waitin' for Lindsay and Lucy to show up. We're eatin' lunch together..." he trailed off as he saw Mac's signature stern eyebrow raise and hurried to add, "but I'm not on lunch yet so you've got my full attention."

At Danny's obvious attempt to look like he was paying attention while his mind was clearly still split, Mac too found himself trying to hide his smile. He personally accounted himself a victory when it came to Danny and Lindsay's relationship, but he was smart enough to know he had to maintain his no-nonsense exterior.

Mac tossed the file onto his desk and sighed, "Alright, we're done for now, just keep me in the loop."

"Thanks Mac," Hawkes replied.

"You got it boss," Danny added backing out of the office, his arms raised in mock surrender and he at least had the decency to look guilty. Mac never worried about Danny and Lindsay's professionalism at work. He had no problem ignoring a sneaked kiss, a subtle shoulder squeeze, or even the occasional booty swat-although Mac was certain both Messers thought they were getting away with it because of their super hiding skills-those things Mac knew would never interfere with their work. It was a gamble to have a husband and wife team, especially in a job that can be so dangerous, but so far Mac hadn't regretted his decision to keep them both on his team. He also knew that Danny and Lindsay appreciated the chance he was giving them, and they tried hard to show him it wasn't a mistake. So for Danny to be so distracted meant that there was more going on than just Lindsay and Lucy popping in to have lunch. Mac just hoped it was good news. The Messer family had dealt with a lot over the last year, and they had come out on the other side stronger; a little happiness was deserved.

From his spot behind his desk Mac watched as Lindsay, holding Lucy on her hip and a bag of food in her hand, exited the elevator. He saw Danny turn as Lindsay called out to him, then the younger man hurried over to where his family was waiting for him. Danny swung Lucy into his arms, much to the delight of the little girl as her squeal of "Dadd-ee" could be heard through the glass. Then Mac watched as Danny pulled Lindsay into a tight hug, kissing her cheek and smiling. He could see that the small family was lost in a moment of pure bliss. Mac felt a his own face break into a smile. After a moment the couple pulled apart and Mac saw Lindsay point to the pink shirt Lucy was wearing. He watched Danny lean his head back and laugh, nodding his consent to whatever question Lindsay had asked. Danny passed Lucy back to Lindsay and took the bag of food from her. He leaned in for one more kiss, which Lindsay didn't hesitate to return. Danny held up a finger to indicate he'd be right back, and Lindsay began making her way towards

Mac's office.

When Mac realized she was headed his way, he quickly picked up whatever file was in front of him, and began to peruse it in an attempt to look like he had been working rather than sitting there staring at his subordinates.

He heard a knock on his door and looked up to see a grinning Lindsay and Lucy on the other side asking permission to enter. He waved his hand and she pushed open the glass door.

"Hey Mac, sorry to bother you. Do have a minute?" Lindsay asked, poking her head in.

Mac made a show of closing the file and setting it back on the desk. "For my favorite goddaughter? Of course." He stood as they entered his office; a sign of respect he had learned from his father, and that had been reinforced in his years as a Marine. He came around his desk, and stopped a few feet away from them.

"She has gotten so big since the last time I saw her," Mac observed of the toddler, "She actually has hair now."

Lindsay laughed, "Yeah, it took a little while, but now she has a full head of blonde hair. It's a lot more fun to play with."

"I saw the photos you posted on your family blog of her little uh...ponytails?" Mac struggled.

"Her pigtails," Lindsay clarified with a smile, "Yeah I'm glad I got the photos because at the moment she won't sit still long enough for me to put them back in."

Mac nodded his head with understanding. He had heard more than a few stories of how wild and active the youngest Messer could be.

"Hi Miss Lucy," Mac addressed the little girl. She smiled at him but kept her arms around her mother's neck.

"Can you say 'hi Uncle Mac?'" Lindsay cooed to her daughter.

"Hi Mat," Lucy whispered shyly, but at Lindsay's prompting reached her arms out to give Mac a hug.

Mac immediately responded by pulling the child into his arms.

"Hey Mac, Danny will be back in just a second, and when he gets here would you mind snapping a photograph of the three of us?" Lindsay asked.

Mac thought is was an odd request but he was too distracted by the little beauty in his arms and answered offhandedly, "Sure."

Lindsay grinned at the pair, "Hey Luce why don't you tell Uncle Mac about your favorite movie? Toy Story?"

"Toy Tory," Lucy cried and started babbling about her favorite characters. Mac didn't know anything about what she was saying and even if he did, he didn't think he would have been able to understand her, but it was wonderful to hear her little voice talking and to see the person she was growing into. So he fulfilled his end of the conversations with the occasional, "Is that so?" or "Really?"

A few moments later Danny stepped into his office and asked, indicating to Lucy, "Isn't she somethin'?"

"She sure is," Mac agreed and handing Lucy back to her father asked, "You want me to take the picture now?"

"Yeah boss, if ya don't mind," Danny said, handing his phone to Mac. It was already in photo mode, and Mac raised it to position them onto the screen.

The three of them shuffled together and Mac heard Danny whisper, "Has he noticed yet?" to which Lindsay just shook her head no. Danny and Lindsay stood next to each other and held Lucy between them so the little girl was facing outward, her bottom resting comfortably on the chair that the parents had created with their arms.

"Ok, ready?" Mac asked, "One, Two, Thr..." He trailed off as through the screen of Danny's phone Mac saw the yellow writing on Lucy's shirt:

_I'm a big sister_

He lowered the phone, and saw matching cheeky grins on his two CSIs; confirming the shirts declaration. Mac laughed, and brought the phone up quickly taking the photo. He then made his way over to the family and hugged them, congratulating them on their new blessing.

Later that night, a tired, happy Lindsay sat down in front of her lap top, and logged into the blog she had created so family and friends could keep track of Lucy and their little family and typed:

_Attention Family in Montana and Family in New York-Lucy has an announcement she would like to make._

She then uploaded the photo Mac had taken that day. Lindsay took a moment to stare at the three of them. Her and Danny's faces plastered with huge grins and their beautiful daughter faced squished by her cheesy, over the top smile. In a few months their would be one more person to wedge into their family photos, and Lindsay couldn't wait.

She saved her changes, turned off her computer, and headed to bed.

As she crawled in next to her husband she asked, "So who do you think will call us first, my mom or your mom?"

He tucked her in close to his body and mumbled sleepily, "Doesn't matter, we'll know as soon as my ma sees it 'cause we'll hear her squeal from across the city."

Lindsay chuckled then breathed, "Another baby."

"Another baby," Danny said back quietly. The pair looked at each and for the one thousandth time that day, smiled.

**Thanks for reading!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A Quiet Goodbye**

**Part 6**

**By: ioanhoratio**

**A/N: So, originally this chapter was going to be a lot shorter, but because afrozenheart412 made a brilliant suggestion it actually turned into something much longer. In fact, I broke it up into two chapters. I loved her idea of including their families-which I was going to do in a small way, but decided to take it a little bit bigger. They aren't going to be huge characters, but their presence is going to be felt a little more than I originally planned. So thank to afrozenheart412, and everyone else who reviewed. I really do pay close attention to the suggestions and comments. Thanks to daytimedrama, Dine89, uscrocks, and jorizo. I also want to thank chamblau, Dinny93, and Lozza100.**

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**6W 6D**

Lindsay Messer felt miserable.

She lay on the floor of their living room curled around a sofa cushion, gently rocking her body back and forth, and humming softly to herself. At the moment, it was the only position that

didn't send her rocketing into the bathroom to puke. She could hear Danny and Lucy in the kitchen making a mess as they prepared breakfast. Her stomach rolled at the thought of food, and Lindsay gripped tighter to the pillow, inhaling and exhaling slowly. Once she was sure she wasn't going to gave to make a run for it, she grab a cracker off the stack that Danny had set in front of her. She nibbled on the corner, and then lost all interest in it. Tossing the cracker away, she closed her eyes and moaned quietly. She had experienced morning sickness when she'd been pregnant with Lucy, but it had never been this bad. Almost as soon as they'd had her pregnancy verified two weeks ago Lindsay had been plagued by near constant nausea. It had become so bad that Lindsay's doctor thought it would be best for her to come in a little early for her first prenatal appointment.

Lindsay's eyes flew open as she felt a small pressure on her hip. Lucy looked down at her, her baby face serious and concerned.

"Momma?" she asked in her small voice.

Lindsay forced a smile on her face, and happily answered, "Hey baby. How was your breakfast?"

"Dood," Lucy said as she flopped down against her mother's body.

Lindsay couldn't help the hiss of pain that escaped as her daughter's body pressed unknowingly against her sore, tender breasts.

"Momma, wat," Lucy called trying to get her mother to look at her, then lifted her bare foot up and sniffed her toes, "shoo-ee."

Lindsay smiled through her nausea, and laughed at her daughter's antics. It was a game they played each night before bath time. Danny or Lindsay would pull off her socks and shoes, and smell her toes. They always teased and laughed that her toes were stinky, and in fact they usually were. It would make Lucy laugh at them every time. Now that she was old enough, she would try to make her parents laugh by doing it herself, and in fact it usually did.

Lindsay knew her little daughter didn't understand what was going on, didn't realize that there was going to be a new baby soon, but she did sense her mother's discomfort, and she did notice Lindsay spending more time lying down than playing. The young mother's heart warmed at her toddler's attempt to help alleviate the pain.

"Why are you so cute?" Lindsay asked her daughter playfully.

"'Cause she's half you an' half me, what else could she be?" Danny interjected as he scooped Lucy up off Lindsay, "She's cute and sneaky. Didn't Daddy tell you to stay in the kitchen with him so Mommy could rest?"

Lucy stared at him, then just said, "Momma."

"Don't Momma, me. She's not gonna help ya. Daddy said stay in the kitchen, and Daddy meant it," Danny scolded. An unrepentant Lucy squirmed in his arms, fighting to get down. Danny immediately wrapped his strong arms around her body, holding her to him. Ignoring her protest, Danny addressed his wife, "Sorry babe, she got away from me...again."

Lindsay managed a smirk. It was difficult to feel so useless, and to be unable to help with her daughter.

Noticing her reticence, Danny pressed, "How ya doin' Montana?"

"I'm feeling better. If you want to leave Lucy with me for a little while we'd be ok," she offered, desperate for a chance to spend time with her baby.

Danny frowned at her, "Lindsay you can't sit up without feeling like crap. Lucy an' I can spend some more time together so you can rest. We got two babies to think about now. Besides in an hour I gotta be at work, and you'll get all of Lucy you can take."

Lindsay nodded, then winces as the motion brought a wave of discomfort.

"Or," Danny said quickly, seeing her pinched face, "I call my ma to come watch her for a little while this morning, or at least until your doctor's appointment."

Lucy, having lost all patience with her father, began throwing her head back whining to get down and for her mom. Seeing the heartbreak on both of his girls' faces he gave in, and sat down next to his wife, settling Lucy between them; close enough to Lindsay to keep the child happy, but close enough to him that he could step in if needed. The little girl immediately laid down next to her mother and snuggled in close, grinning at her father.

"Oh, you've got Momma now an' you just think you're hot stuff huh?" Danny teased.

"She loves her momma," Lindsay gloated.

Danny just shook his head with feigned frustration. Changing the subject back, he pressed, "Do you want me to call my mom?"

Lindsay groaned, and said defensively, "I can take care of my own daughter, Danny. Just because I don't feel well doesn't mean we have to run out and get someone else to look after her."

"Hey, don't get like that. I know you can take care of Lucy, even when you don't feel good, but why worry about it when we've got a grandma who would love to help out?" Danny pointed out.

Lindsay buried her face in the cushion and mumbled, "She'sgonnathinkI'malazymom."

Danny chuckled, "'Scuse me, what?"

Lindsay slowly brought her head up to answer, but was interrupted by an excited Lucy shouting, "Pee Boo!" Obviously the toddler assumed since her mother had hidden her face they were playing the beloved game of Peek-a-Boo. Anxious for a chance to engage with her daughter, Lindsay immediately repeated the action, much to her daughter's delight. Lucy again shouted, "Pee Boo!" Lindsay smiled at her daughter's happiness, and fought to keep that smile on her face as she felt bile rise in her throat.

Lucy took her turn burying her face down, and Lindsay took the opportunity to let her smile drop and focus on keeping her stomach contents where they were.

"I said," Lindsay forced out while Lucy was distracted with hiding her face, "that your mom is going to think I'm a lazy mother."

"Pee Boo!" Lucy shouted bringing her head up. Lindsay's smile returned immediately and she and Danny both cheered the child on. Content with their reaction, Lucy again dropped her head down.

Danny jumped into the conversation, "You have gotta be outta your mind babe. First of all, my ma will love you until the day she dies and even then I wouldn't be surprised if she found a way to send ya good karma from beyond the grave, because you've given her the one thing she never dreamed she would get; grandchildren. Second, she loves you 'cause you make me happy, and finally even if all of that wasn't true, she'd still love you 'cause you are such a wonderful person and pretty dam...uh...darn cute. She could never think ill of you and you know she would love to come spend the day with you and Luce..."

Danny was interrupted by a "Pee Boo!" The parents again clapped their hands, assuring their daughter they were still playing the game with her. "Daddy," Lucy declared, pointing to him, indicating it was his turn to hide.

Danny immediately hid his face in his hands, but continued in a slightly muffled voice, "And waz dis crap about anyone thinkin' you're a lazy mom?"

"Dad-ee!" Lucy called.

"Peek-a-Boo," Danny declared popping his face out from behind his hands.

Lucy's laughter filled the apartment, "Pee Boo, Daddy."

"No," Danny admonished, "no more Pee Boo. Why don't ya go get Puddles and play Pee Boo with him."

At the mention of her favorite stuff dog, Lucy stood and announced, "Be ri'bat." Then carried herself off on her chubby legs to retrieve the toy.

"No one thinks you're a lazy mom. Any one who knows you, knows you're nothin' but a fantastic mom," Danny assured her, reaching out to gently run his hand up and down her back. "I mean look at ya. You're sick on the floor, but still playin' Peek-a-Boo. Most people I know would curl up in bed and jus' stay there."

Lindsay just shrugged, too worn out to argue.

"Hey, come on now," Danny tried again, "you don't really feel lazy do you?"

"Well, I've spent the last few days doing a whole lot of nothing, except running from the living room to the bathroom, or from the bedroom to the bathroom, or from the lab to the bathroom, or from autopsy to the bathroom, or..."

"A'right," Danny interrupted, "I get the point. Except you haven't only been doin' those things. You've still been working. You've still been takin' care of Lucy." Danny raised his hands to her lips when he could see her begin to argue and continued, "You have Linds. You felt like crap yesterday, but still gave Lucy her bath, you still fed her dinner, you still read books to'er. Right now you can't play with her like you normally would, but trust me that lil'girl knows her mommy loves her," he then added teasingly, "I'm not too concerned with her getting neglected."

Lindsay smirked. With two sets of doting grandparents, a devoted godfather, several adopted uncles and an aunt, not to mention a set of hopelessly enchanted parents, Lucy would never even know the meaning of the word neglect.

"And," Danny added, "this will pass. Ya goin' to be feelin' better in no time."

"I hope so," Lindsay lamented, "I'm only half-way through the first trimester, and I'm already feeling wiped out. I just want this pregnancy to be over so I can hold my baby."

Danny's response was cut-off as Lucy came barreling into the living room with Puddles upside down in her arms.

"Dad-ee! Mom-ee! Look, Pud," she told them, holding up the little puppy for them to see.

The conversation and activity proved to much for Lindsay. She scrambled to her feet, Danny moving quickly to help her, and ran for the bathroom.

"Momma?" Lucy asked, her voice quiet.

"She'll be right back Luce. Jus' goin' potty," Danny explained, "Let's get you some breakfast,

'k?"

Ignoring the retching sounds coming from the hallway bath, he scooped up Lucy and carried her to the kitchen. He grabbed his cell phone off the counter and while he strapped her into her chair made a call. When that was done he cut up the waffle he had toasted for Lucy and set her plate in front of her with a glass of milk. Certain she was fine for a moment, he made his way to the bathroom.

As expected, when he pushed open the door he found Lindsay gripping tightly to the porcelain bowl. He stepped over to the sink, grabbed a washcloth and wet it with cold water. Kneeling down to her level, he waited until her heaving stopped, then took the cloth and wiped the tears and snot from her face.

"Done?"

He watched Lindsay's throat move as she swallowed hard. "For the moment," she whimpered pathetically. Danny helped her stand and supported her back to their bedroom, where he led her over to their bed and tucked her back in.

"I've called my ma," he told her softly, "she'll be in here in about 45 minutes. I want ya to try and sleep. I'll be back ta pick you up an' take you to the doctor's after lunch, 'k?"

Lindsay didn't have the strength to argue or the inclination to do anything but curl up and sleep.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

"None of that," Danny admonished, "just rest." He leaned over and kissed her hair, then moved to pull the curtains closed, and shut the door behind him. He could tell by Lindsay's resigned sigh that she would soon be asleep. He just hoped that her morning sickness would have lessened by the time the doctor's appointment rolled around. Otherwise, she was going to be miserable traveling in the car.

"Momma?" Lucy asked around a mouthful of food.

"Momma's takin' a nap," Danny answered, wishing he could make some coffee, but Lindsay's current aversion to the smell had him reaching for the orange juice instead. He could really use the boost of caffeine though, the last few days had been busy for him. He'd never realized how much Lindsay did in a day until he'd been forced to step into the roll of mommy. He'd also been trying to cover as much of her work as he could at the lab, but it was starting to wear him down. He was really hoping the doctor would be able to help Lindsay, for all their sakes.

Nearly an hour later, Danny was running around the apartment looking for his sunglasses with Lucy perched on his hip, when he heard the doorbell ring. He stopped mid-stride, and quickly pulled the door open, trying to ensure Lindsay's slumber wasn't disturbed.

"Hey Ma," he greeted the older woman. Gina Messer grinned widely at him, but Danny wasn't fooled. He knew who that grin was for, and without prompting, handed Lucy to her.

"My Lucy-kins," she gushed, kissing the toddler's face everywhere there was skin available. Used to the attention, Lucy just giggled and tried to kiss her back. Danny just shook his head and turned to check and make sure Lindsay was still asleep. As he made his way down the hall, he heard his mom call out to him distractedly, "Hi Danny."

He waved over his shoulder, his only acknowledgment of her comment. He knew if he turned around he would just find her focused on Lucy. He had issues with his parents, particularly his father, but those issues were nothing when it came to their love and affection for Lucy. The little girl had a power over them that amazed him, but one he wasn't going to question; especially if it equated to free babysitting.

A quick peek into the bedroom to check on Lindsay confirmed she was still asleep so he quietly pulled the door closed, and made his way back into the living room where he found his mom and daughter sitting on the floor playing with the plastic teacup set.

"Thanks for doin' this Ma," Danny told her, as he resumed his search for his shades, "especially on such short notice."

Gina waved her hand in dismissal. "No problem at all. You know I love helping with Lucy. Is Lindsay asleep?"

Before Danny could answer, Lucy jumped in, "Momma, nap, shh."

Gina nodded and gave the toddler a knowing look. She then turned her attention back to her son. "She's still feeling pretty bad?"

"You have no idea, morning sickness my as...butt. She's been sick for days now, all day. I really hope there's somethin' the doctor can do ta help her," Danny said, spotting his glasses in Lucy's toy box. He raised his eyebrow at his daughter, knowing the only way they wound up there was because she had been playing with them, but chose not to comment. He snatched them up, and grabbed the messenger bag he used for work.

"I'm hopin' some sleep and the morning off will help her feel better," he explained throwing his bag over his shoulder, "Her appointments at 1:00 so I'll be back here about 12:15. Lucy's had breakfast an' she'll be good with cheese and strawberries for lunch. After the doctor's, Lindsay should be feelin' well enough to take care of Lucy, so are you o.k. with her until probably about 3?"

"Don't you worry about a thing son. Lucy and Lindsay are in good hands," she assured him.

Danny kissed Lucy goodbye, and with a final wave dashed out the door, and headed for work.

Gina turned to her granddaughter. "Just you an' me kid."

Lucy blinked at her then dropped the pink cup she was holding, and tried to grab at the green necklace her grandmother was wearing. Pulling the piece of jewelry off and handing it to Lucy, Gina was struck by an idea. Knowing her son, and how sick Lindsay had been recently, Gina stood and picked up Lucy, making her way to the laundry room where she found, just as she knew she would, a stack of dirty clothes.

"Why don't we help mommy and daddy, huh?" she asked Lucy. Lucy just grinned around the necklace she had hanging out of her mouth. Gina chuckled, "You really are jus' like your daddy sometimes."

For the next hour the two Messer women worked on the piles of clothes. Well, Gina worked while Lucy laughed at riding the washing machine or rolled around in the clean, warm fabric.

"Lucy, I just folded those," Gina scolded kindly, grabbing the stack of shirts out from under the bouncing baby.

"Oh, you didn't have to do that!" a voice exclaimed from across the room.

"Momma!" Lucy called out, scrambling over to her mother. Lindsay bent down and picked up her child. She held her close as she crossed the room, over to the couch.

"Please tell me Danny didn't ask you to do that?" Lindsay begged as she sat down next to her mother-in-law.

Gina chuckled. "No he didn't, but I understand why you'd ask that. And I know I didn't _have_ to do it, but I wanted to. Danny said you've been pretty sick with this baby. How are you feeling?"

Lindsay buried her nose in Lucy's hair and took a deep breath, then answered, "I'm o.k. Feeling better with the extra sleep."

Gina narrowed her eyes in a look that Lindsay recognized from her own mother's face, a look she had found herself giving Lucy more than once. It was a look that meant only one thing; it was time to tell the truth.

"I just can't shake the nausea. The mornings are really bad, then I at least feel well enough by the afternoon to contribute, but by the evening I'm back to gripping the toilet. I don't think I've eaten more than toast and popsicles in a week. Being in the lab is torture. The smells are horrible. Poor Danny has been doing his best, but between work, Lucy, and taking care of me he's spread pretty thin."

"Oh, well that isn't a big deal," Gina waved off, "you're stuck with nine months of swelling, puking, leaking, exhaustion, and who know whatever else the good Lord feels to bless us with. Danny can deal with a few months of pulling a little extra weight."

Lindsay smirked. Her mother-in-law was so different from her own mother that it had been interesting developing a relationship with her. It had also taken a lot of time, but now Lindsay appreciated her hard personality and dry wit. Not to mention, Gina was hopelessly devoted to Lucy, and that always warmed her heart.

"Besides," the older woman continued, "it would do him good to realize how much you do in a day. When I was pregnant with Louis...I...," she cleared her throat of the emotion that still flooded her at the thought of her lost son, "I couldn't handle looking at raw meat so Vinnie had to make dinner for the first few months. A few overcooked chicken breasts, and a nearly burnt down kitchen later, he was promising me all kinds of favors if I would just start cooking again."

Lindsay laughed out loud at the visual of her father-in-law being so lost in the kitchen. "Well, thankfully Danny seems to know his way around a kitchen."

"Of course he does," Gina declared, "Just take that as my gift to you. I wasn't going to let any son of mine not be able to help his girl when she needed it. Now, are you feeling up to try some breakfast?"

Lindsay made a disgusted face.

"Well that's too bad, 'cause you need to eat, and so does my new little grandbaby," Gina remarked tossing the last of the folded shirts into the laundry basket. "Now, would you like

jell-o and toast, or apple slices with peanut butter?"

Lindsay thought for a moment, then finally agreed to the jell-o and toast.

"Good, I also brought with me some ginger tea packets. I'll fix that as well. You just sit and keep your feet up," Gina advised, then turned to Lucy, "Are you going to help Grandma?"

"No!" Lucy cried, shaking her head, and gripping tightly to Lindsay's shirts.

"She's fine with me," Lindsay assured her mother-in-law, and grabbed the remote, turning on the TV to the Disney Channel. "We'll sit here and watch some cartoons."

She heard Gina mumbling about Danny being right about how stubborn his wife was, but Lindsay ignored it, and gave Lucy a secret grin as the pair snuggled into the cushions of the couch.

Lucy maintained her hold on her mom as she turned to watch the screen, her childish mind caught by the bright images of jungle animals dancing and singing. Lindsay took this quiet moment to gaze at her child, reveling in her role as mother. Her mind drifted to the image of holding her two babies in her arms, two little heads resting against her shoulders. The picture warmed her heart, and gave her renewed strength to deal with what her body was putting her through. She had fallen in love with this baby, and she knew from experience, that love would only grow stronger. It was what she needed to focus on as she felt her stomach roll. The additional sleep had worked wonders on her nausea, but it wasn't a cure.

She was nervous about the doctor's appointment, and desperately wanted to believe everything was fine. She hadn't been this sick with Lucy, but told herself that every pregnancy is different. She was a worrier by nature, though Danny was helping her over come some of that, but she knew she would be making her current situation worse if she let every possible scenario play out in her mind. So, she chose to focus on what she could control. She would eat the food her mother-in-law prepared, shower, then spend the morning reading and playing with her daughter, and getting to know her mother-in-law a little better; which is exactly what she did.

It wasn't long before she noticed her daughter's droopy eyes, and increased whining. She wiped Lucy's lunch from her face, then laid her down for her nap. She returned to the living room and sat down next to Gina.

"She'll fuss for a few minutes, but then she'll drop off," Lindsay said over the crying coming from the baby monitor.

Gina nodded. "Louis was the same way. He would fuss then go right to sleep. Now Danny," she added, waggling a finger in the air, "if he decided he wasn't going to take a nap, then he wasn't going to take a nap. He would lay there and cry and cry and cry. Then he would kick and throw his toys, or pull his clothes off, anything to get out of taking a nap."

Lindsay grinned. Danny hadn't changed a whole lot since his toddler days.

Gina returned the smile and asked, "Are you hoping for a boy this time?"

Lindsay's hands moved to her abdomen. "I'm just hoping for healthy, although I would like one of each. I know Danny would like a boy, but I also know how he worships Lucy so I don't think he'd have a problem with another girl."

"It'd serve him right to have a bunch of girls," Gina teased, "he's so protective of Lucy. What would he do with two girls to worry about."

"It may drive him to build that tower he's always grumbling about," Lindsay joked along, then changing the subject added, "Thank you so much for your help today. I really am feeling better. That ginger tea helped, and I can't believe I've kept down the food,"

Gina beamed proudly. "Not a problem my dear. It feels nice to be involved."

Lindsay heard the wistfulness in her voice, and felt twinge of guilt. She and Danny worked so much, and had such busy lives, they didn't spend a whole lot of time with his family. A part of her allowed her conscience to be appeased because she was a little jealous to know that Lucy would get to know the Messers better than the Monroes, and figured it was only fair to not push Lucy's relationship with Gina and Vinnie. But Lindsay realized she need to set that thinking aside and focus on helping Lucy and the new baby establish a better relationship with at least one set of grandparents. She didn't get to spend a lot of time with her own family, but that was no reason the Lucy shouldn't get to know the Messer side better. She would see if Danny would be willing to work on that. She knew the problems Danny had with his parents and the choices they'd made in their lives, but she didn't think a little bit more time spent with them would hurt.

Lindsay opened her mouth to discuss the possibility of having Gina and Vinnie over for dinner, but snapped her mouth shut when she heard keys in the door. A moment later Danny walked through.

"Hey babe," he called out to her, making his way over to the couch. He leaned in and gave her a quick peck on the lips, then turned to his mom and kissed her cheek. "You're lookin' like ya feelin' a little better."

"I am," Lindsay assured him, "the extra sleep helped a lot, and your mom is a wonder woman.

I actually ate a meal."

Danny turned to his mom, grinning. "You're the best Ma."

Ignoring his praise with a shrug, though Lindsay didn't miss the gleam in her eye, Gina stood. "I'm gonna clean up Lucy's lunch. You guys better get a move on. Don't wanna be late for your appointment."

"Yep," Danny agreed, "we gotta run Linds. I don't want to have to drive fast and crazy, an' risk makin' ya sick so we gotta leave now."

He pulled her to her feet and not letting go of her hand, grabbed her purse. As he led her through the door he called over his shoulder, "We've got our phones if ya need us Ma. We'll be back soon, and thanks again."

Gina waved her goodbyes. Once the door was shut, she turned to clean up the kitchen, then plopped on the coach, and watched the last half of her favorite soap opera while Lucy slept. She brought her feet up, and stretched out, resting comfortably. She was really enjoying being a grandmother. She got to spend the morning with granddaughter, helped her daughter-in-law to feel better, and was complimented by her son.

Gina Messer felt wonderful.

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**Thanks for reading!**

**The next chapter is the doctor's appointment so stay tuned!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A Quiet Goodbye**

**Part 7**

**By: ioanhoratio**

**A/N: Not much of anything to say here just that everyone please keep in mind I'm not a doctor! ^_^ And of course to thank you all for the wonderful reviews and messages in support of this story! You guys keep me going especially: JESS25 and Dine89. And a huge thanks to those who reviewed including: xAddictedToLewis, laurzz, uscrocks, Dinny93, ryhmenocerous, kcatlin, afrozenheart412, and again Dine89. I also appreciate those who added this story to their favorites or alerts: OneTH23, danny-lindsay4e, countrygirl103, laura817, and Callygirl80.**

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**6W 6D**

Danny Messer found himself rather comfortable among the pregnant women he was sharing the waiting room with; quite the turn around for a man who use to cringe at the mention of marriage and family. He fidgeted with his cell phone as he and Lindsay waited for her name to be called. He had been to this doctor's office plenty of times, and his fidgeting had more to do with excitement than with uncertainty and fear-not like the first time, not like it had been with Lucy:

"_Danny, I swear if you don't stop tapping your foot against my chair I'm going to puke all over you," Lindsay warned for the last time._

_Danny froze and offered her an uncertain smile. "Sorry."_

_Lindsay's annoyed face softened slightly, and she reached for his hand. "Relax."_

_Danny resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He didn't think it was possible to be feeling a hundred different emotions at once, and to relax. He was going to hear his baby's heartbeat for the first time. He was going to get to see the baby live on the screen, not just a blurry photo. He was going to get to ask the doctor questions, and have body parts pointed out. He was going to get one step closer to getting to know his child, and all Lindsay could say was 'relax.'"_

_This was his first visit to the office as a patient. His actual first visit was in his capacity as an investigator and despite his protests that Lindsay needed to find a new OB/GYN clinic, here he sat looking at the same counter he had stood near when Lindsay had walked into the clinic that day-the day that changed his world completely._

"_You know," he said, turning to her, and ignoring her attempts to read the latest _People_ magazine, "you say relax, but let's not forget this clinic had a doctor who was willing to sell babies."_

_Lindsay huffed in frustration. "I am not finding a new office Danny. I like it here. I like the nurses and even though Dr. Hinton had her problems..._

_She was interrupted by Danny's snort of protest. "Problems Montana? The woman has lost her medical license, and will most likely be spending the next 5 years in prison for trying to sell a baby!"_

_Several heads popped up to look at him. A few heavily pregnant women stroked their bellies protectively, and gave him the evil eye._

"_Shh!" Lindsay chastised quickly, and lowering her voice continued, "Fine. She had some serious problems, but they were her problems, and since you're such a great CSI we caught her, and now we're free to enjoy our new doctor, Dr. Reeser."_

_Danny didn't miss Lindsay's use of flattery, but chose not to comment. As much as he wished he could have more say in this pregnancy, he knew the distance between them stemmed from his actions, and that it was a slow process rebuilding the trust they had. He was grateful Lindsay had included him in this visit. It was his first, and he was a little uncertain of his role. There was a great mystery in the world, a tale told among men in locker rooms, or teenage boys who giggled about it underneath the football bleachers, stories of men who had supposedly witnessed it first hand. It was what high school biology teachers did their best to teach, while at the same time hoping to get through it as quickly as possible. It was, of course, a woman's visit with her gynecologist. Danny had never had occasion to visit a lady's doctor before; especially not one that dealt with all that womanly stuff_ and_ babies. _

_He swallowed hard, trying to push away the embarrassment that was forming, "Linds?" he started, his voice high, and squeaky. Mortified, he cleared his throat and tried again, "Linds?"_

"_Yeah Danny?"_

"_Is there going to be an...um...an exam?"_

_Flipping a page in her magazine, Lindsay answered off handedly, "Sure Danny, doctors usually examine their patients."_

_Her flippant attitude forced Danny to conclude she wasn't getting what he was asking. "No Linds, I mean an _exam_, exam." He had locked his jaw together and forced the last word through his teeth for emphasis._

_Lindsay gave him a confused look, but her face soon cleared as she caught on to what he was asking her._

_With a giggle she answered, "No, not today. They did all the 'fun stuff' at my first visit. The doctor's just going to check my weight, the baby size, and let us listen to the heartbeat."_

_Danny felt a bit of his anxiety lessen, and in a moment of relief blurted, "Thank goodness, I was worried about where to look during that kind of exam." _

_Surprise flashed on Lindsay's face, quickly replace by amusement. "Where to look Danny?" she asked._

_Blushing harder than Danny Messer had ever blushed in his life, he scrambled to clarify, "Yeah, ya know, I mean, you on ya back, knees in the air, some person down there pokin' around."_

_Lindsay gave a bark of laughter, and wryly pointed out, "Sounds a lot like how I got into this mess in the first place."_

_Danny, caught of guard by her joke, nearly choked. Lindsay just batted her eyes at him innocently._

_Once he recovered, he acquiesced, "A'right, a'right, I get ya point. I know it ain't nothin' I've never seen before, but it's different when it's about sex an' pleasure. There's jus' somethin' so wrong with another person stickin' their fingers up...hey, wait, is this Dr. Reeser a man or a woman?"_

_The look on her face told him she was seriously considering making him suffer, so he threw her his best pathetic, puppy dog look, and he saw her raised eyebrows lower. "It's Dr. Autumn Resser, a woman."_

"_Thank goodness for small blessings," he mumbled, then in his defense added, "I mean think about it. Where should I look durin' an exam like that? The doctor? You?"_

"_Well if it makes you uncomfortable then you don't have to come," Lindsay shrugged. He knew she was trying to keep her voice light, but the undertone of hurt was clear._

"_No way," he quickly backtracked, "there's nothin' that is gonna keep me from bein' with you."_

_Appeased by his words, Lindsay put her magazine down then rested her head against his shoulder. "Just think Danny, we're going to hear the baby's heartbeat today."_

_Danny moved his hand to palm her slightly rounded stomach. "Yeah, it's pretty exciting." He felt her warmth against his body, and chose to focus on the fact that he was there with her and to ignore the feeling that the nurses were judging him for not being there with her before._

"_You know," Lindsay whispered into his ear seductively, "if you're so disappointed on missing out on the exam, maybe when we get home tonight we can re-enact it."_

"What are you smirking about?" Lindsay asked from her seat next to him, pulling Danny out of his memory.

"I was jus' thinkin' about our first visit to the doctor's together when you were pregnant with Luce," he explained.

"That was pretty incredible huh?" Lindsay offered with a smile.

"Absolutely. Do you think it's gonna feel as amazing this time?"

Before she could answer they were interrupted by a nurse calling Lindsay's name. They both stood, Danny taking Lindsay's hand in his, and followed the nurse.

"Mr. Messer, if you want to wait in here, I'm going to take your wife and weigh her and bring her right back," the nurse told him as she pointed to the small examination room. Danny nodded and veered off.

Lindsay continued to follow the nurse to the scale and stepped on. After notes were taken of her height and weight, Lindsay was led to a bathroom for a urine sample. Following that she found herself in the room with her husband where the nurse proceeded to draw blood.

Once the nurse had smiled, instructed Lindsay to strip from the waist down, assured them the doctor would be right in, and left the room, Lindsay turned to Danny and whined, "So the poking and prodding begins." She scratched at the bandaid the nurse had put on her arm where she had been stuck with the needle.

Sensing his wife's need for levity, Danny observed, "Ya know I think we need to find out who decorated this office an' see if they'd be willing to do our apartment." He turned to look at the drawings of a growing embryo, and the posters of a woman's reproductive system.

Lindsay's laughter brought a smile to his face. It had been difficult to see her so sick the last several days, and to be unable to help her much. She had done her best to stay positive, but it had been difficult, so it was nice to hear her so relaxed.

Still smiling, Lindsay, now stripped down to just her shirt and bra, climbed up onto the exam table, used the provided blanket to cover herself, then asked, "Could you imagine Flack's reaction if he walked in, and we have a giant uterus on the wall?"

"I'd imagine he'd walk in, and then walk right back out," Danny joked along.

The two happily continued their banter, teasing each other and enjoying each other's company as they waited for the doctor. "You know it's a bad sign when being at the doctor's is the most fun you've had in a while," Lindsay eventually observed with a cheeky grin.

"Yeah, it's nice to just sit here and talk, and not worry about bein' pulled in a hundred different directions or havin' to worry about our little girl or a boss interuptin' us," Danny agreed.

The door to the room opened, and a familiar middle aged woman with light brown hair, wearing a white medical coat and holding a file walked in.

"Hello, Danny, Lindsay," Dr. Reeser greeted them brightly, "so wonderful to see you, and with such good news. Congratulations."

Danny and Lindsay beamed at her and quickly thanked her. She asked about Lucy and again they gushed with pride and bragged about their beautiful daughter.

"So happy to hear it," she told them, her tone genuine. "Now, let's see what we can do for baby number 2. I understand you've been quite sick so far."

"Yes," Lindsay agreed, "I remember the nausea with Lucy, but this is nothing like that. I struggle with keeping anything down, odors can set me off, and I've tried a few things I found on the internet but nothing seems to help. I eat, I'm nauseated and puke; I don't eat, I'm nauseated and puke."

"She's really strugglin' ta get through the day," Danny interjected, "and normally you'd have to tie her to the bed to get her to stay home and miss work, but she's been so sick lately she didn't argue when I suggested she stay home."

"Alright, well let's get started by determining how far along you are and your due date. When was the first day of your last period?" the doctor asked, sitting down on the small, rolling chair in front of the desk and pulling out of the drawers the circular due date calculator.

"May 22nd," Lindsay said immediately, knowing she was going to have to answer that question.

"Ok," Dr. Reeser responded, turning the top wheel on the hand-held calculator, "well, that puts you at a little under 9 gestational weeks and your due date at February 26th. You may have a leap year baby."

"That should work out jus' fine Montana, we'd only have to have a birthday party every four years," Danny pointed out.

"Yeah, but if we go by that then it would take 72 years to have the kid's eighteenth birthday," Lindsay responded.

"She's got you there," Dr. Resser commented, joining the joke. She then steered the conversation to Lindsay's medical history, and then Danny's. They then reviewed Lindsay's first pregnancy and Lucy's delivery.

She moved onto the physical examination; checking blood pressure, breathing, heart rate. She continued to ask questions regarding Lindsay's health, then asked her to lean back and place her legs in the stirrups.

Lindsay threw Danny a knowing look, and he winked back. These were nothing to him now.

Dr. Resser performed the pelvic exam, checked the size of the uterus, and administered a pap smear.

Danny helped Lindsay to sit up and adjust the blanket to better cover her bottom half.

Finally, Dr. Resser leaned back in her chair, and began, "Well, right now every thing seems healthy, we'll obviously wait for the results of the blood and urine test, as well as the pap, but the type of morning sickness you are describing can be indicative of a bigger problem. I'm not ready to diagnose Hyperemesis Gravidarum; a sever form of morning sickness that can lead to dehydration and often hospitalization, but I do think we need to keep an eye on this. We don't want to get to that point, so I'm going to perform an ultrasound so we can take a look, ok?"

At hearing the words "bigger problem" Lindsay felt her stomach drop, and she could only nod in response. As the doctor stood to make the necessary preparations for the scan, Lindsay reached desperately for Danny's hand.

He immediately responded by stepping closer to her and after she had again leaned back, he stroked her hair back and whispered, "Don't worry baby. She jus' wants to get all the information so we can get ya to feelin' better."

"Alright, a bit of this cool gel on the belly, and then we'll take a look," Dr. Resser said, squirting the gel, and placing the machine's transducer over Lindsay's uterus. She moved it slightly, adjusted the screen so Danny and Lindsay could see, then pointed to the blob. "Right there is your baby."

Seeing the little life on screen helped to calm some of Lindsay's fears and her heart filled with love for the tiny being; a little brother or sister for Lucy, the next step in their family's growth, and a new, innocent person that was half Danny, half her. A glance in Danny's direction confirmed that he too was mesmerized by the image on the screen.

The doctor took some measurements, made some notes, and observed as much as she could from the image.

"Ok," she started, wiping off Lindsay's belly, "I'm going to order a transvaginal ultrasound. Have you had one before?"

Lindsay shook her head.

"It's just a better way to see what's going on. Right now, I'm showing the fetus size to be a little under average and the heartbeat to be a bit slower than what we would expect, but that can also be due to the difficulty an ordinary ultrasound has in getting through some of the layers of the body. By inserting a probe into the vagina, we don't have to deal with that interference. This is just precaution Lindsay, ok? I just want to be sure we don't miss something."

"Thank you," Lindsay forced out her clogged throat.

"I will be back in just a moment." Dr. Resser nodded, gathered up her things, and excused herself.

The click of the door closing echoed through the room, and Lindsay winced as if a gun had fired.

"J'a hear Linds? She said it's just a precaution. That doesn't mean there's a problem," Danny said moving his face directly in front of hers.

"She says it just a precaution, but we didn't have to do this with Lucy," Lindsay pointed out.

Danny knew the panic she was feeling because he felt the same emotion running through his veins, speeding up his heart. However, he had learned from his experience with Lindsay's first pregnancy that it was more important to ensure Lindsay was alright, rather than focus on himself. As the mother, Lindsay sacrificed her own wants and desires for a healthy baby, and as the father, Danny sacrificed his own wants and desires for a healthy mother. "This baby is different, a'right Linds? I jus' don't want you to get too worked up until we know for sure what's goin' on ok?"

Lindsay leaned her head back and took a few deep, calming breathes that she let out slowly. She was trying hard to keep her fears at bay. She moved their linked hands to rest protectively on her flat stomach, and willed the baby to feed off their strength.

"Lindsay?" Danny tried.

"Shh," Lindsay chided softly. She needed the quiet to gear her thoughts away from the darkness of possibilities that was threatening to invade.

Not taking offense, Danny just leaned in and placed a kiss on her forehead, their hands not moving from their resting spot over the baby. They then sat in silence as they waited for the return of their medical practitioner.

The fifteen minute wait seemed to stretch on, but finally the same nurse from before reentered the room pushing a small cart.

"Here we go," she enthused, "Dr. Resser will be back in just a moment, but I'm going to get everything set up for the scan, ok?"

She didn't wait for a response as she moved around the room. They watched as she pulled out an elongated wand with a rounded end. It was connected to the machine that had a screen. She prep-ed the wand by rolling what looked suspiciously similar to a condem over it and then adding gel.

Once she was done she turned to Lindsay. "Ok, now this shouldn't hurt, though you may feel some pressure. And just like most things try your best to relax."

"Thank you Heather," Dr. Resser's voice came from the doorway. The nurse gave Lindsay a reassuring smile then left, allowing Dr. Resser to approach. She explained the procedure again and instructed Lindsay to bring her legs back up and rest in the stirrups.

The doctor was quiet through the exam, again looking at the image on the screen and gaging what is going on. Lindsay tried to stay as relaxed as possible, considering the circumstances. Finally, Dr. Resser smiled. "Alright Mom and Dad, why don't we listen to this." She pushed a few keys and suddenly the rapid, rhythmic sound of the baby's heartbeat filled the room.

Lindsay's sudden intake of air brought Danny's face to hers. Her look of awe was mirrored by his. The emotions and overwhelming stress of this, and the last several days, manifested as the tears began streaming down her cheeks and her face split into a grin.

Danny couldn't resist the urge to kiss her, and their lips mets in an eager, happy union. "Hear that baby girl? That's our baby," he breathed against her skin.

Lindsay's tears continued in earnest, but she managed say, "It is, and it's just as amazing as the first time."

"Sure is," he agreed, remembering his question from before, "I love you so much."

"I love you." Happiness and joy moved through the couple as they heard the proof of their baby's life.

Dr. Resser finished her exam in silence as she allowed them a chance to compose themselves. She cleaned Lindsay up, then indicated for to sit up.

"Well, the T-V scan showed that the fetus is not as small as I first assumed but it still isn't quite where we'd want it to be. The heartbeat is quiet, but on target for speed. I'm going to put you on bed rest for a week, and then light duty for a week. Following that I want you to take it easy, and play it by ear. Don't wear yourself out. Rest is key right now. I'm going to give you a prescription for the nausea, but only use it as a last resort. We have a pamphlet with several natural or home remedies that I want you to try first, but again if this doesn't get any better or gets worse try the medication. If you start spotting I want you to notify my office immediately, ok? We'll set an appointment for three weeks from now, but if you have an questions or concerns between now and then do not hesitate to call ok? We're going to do everything we can to ensure you have a safe, happy pregnancy."

"Thank you Dr. Resser," Danny said offering his hand, she shook it and the smiled at Lindsay.

"I'll get a copy of the ultra sound photo and have it at the front desk for you, along with the prescription and your prenatal vitamins, then I'll see you in three weeks." With a wave she exited.

A short time later Danny and Lindsay were back in their car headed down the road.

"How ya feelin' babe?" Danny asked, glancing from the road to her face.

"Tired," she answered, still staring at the photo of her little baby, "and a little shaky. It wore me out you know?"

"Yeah, when she said there might be a problem with the baby I felt so sick inside. It was pretty scary."

Lindsay nodded.

"But then getting to hear the heartbeat...that was awesome. Our little baby's heartbeat," Danny enthused.

"It was a beautiful sound," Lindsay agreed sincerely. For the umpteenth time that day she reached for his free hand.

They were silent a moment, the Lindsay blurted, "What are we going to do Danny? A week on bed rest? Mac, our boss Mac, won't be happy about that, and what are we going to do with Lucy? I've got a baby at home who needs her mother, but at the same time I want to make sure I don't do anything to risk this baby."

"Hey," Danny interrupted, "You heard the doc. Everything looks ok right now, and to ensure that things stay ok you need rest. No one is going to have a problem with that."

"Really, so Lucy is just going to be overjoyed at the news huh?"

"Ok, so Lucy might be the only one to have a problem with it," he conceded, "but it's only for a little while and she'll live. Plus we'll have help from family and friends a'right?"

"As long as we end up with a healthy baby," Lindsay agreed quietly, holding tightly to the photo.

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**Thanks for reading!**

**So it begins...**

**I've use the Fetal Age at the beginning of every chapter-which is usually about two weeks different from the Gestational Age-and I'm going to continue with that. Most doctors track at the gestational age so while the doctor's office considers her to be about 9 weeks, we have her at about 7. I'm going to keep it at that age. Hope that isn't confusing!**

**P.S. I realized in the last chapter I spelled Louie 'Louis' Sorry, too much French in my life. LOL!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A Quiet Goodbye**

**Part 8**

**By:ioanhoratio**

**AN: No, your eyes doth not deceive you...I actually am updating a story. My new year's resolution is to be better at updating my stories (and here's hoping I stick to it better than my "exercising everyday" resolution) and with such wonderful encouragement from readers like you guys, I know I will be more likely to stay with it! -I may even update _Bringing Sexy Back_! I've also resolved to respond to reviews better and faster. Speaking of, I owe a HUGE thanks to Alex Joleta, Lindsay1234, kdzl, rhymenocerous, afrozenheart412, laurzz, uscrocks, and Dine89 and at DLchem thanks to .mylife, TASolo, Juliab24, juels4ya, daytimedream, stuffy34, and hsm for the reviews on the last chapter. Seriously, you guys keep me going!**

**Just to refresh: Last chapter Lindsay's doctor put her on bed rest.**

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**7W 0D **

"Ok Montana, we gotcha laptop on the bed next to you, a stack of books here, a few DVDs, your water, an' a pack of crackers," Danny declared as he juggled a squirming Lucy from hip to hip.

Sitting up in their bed, Lindsay looked around at everything her helpful husband had gathered for her and sighed, "Danny, when the doctor said bed rest I don't think she meant I had to stay in the actual bed. I can rest on the couch as well as I can here, and that way I can keep a better eye on Lucy."

Danny quickly moved his attention away from his wife and tried to set Lucy on th floor, but the stubborn toddler clung to his neck and locked her knees in a bent position. He huffed and stood back up, pulling Lucy back into his arms.

"Danny?" Lindsay pushed, knowing her husband had pointedly ignored her comment.

"Look," he began but was interrupted by Lucy, who had sat still for about 10 seconds before resuming her attempts to turn her father into a jungle gym. Trying to keep a steady hold on her, Danny turned her so she was sitting backwards on his hip and staring at her mother. Having momentarily distracted the child he tried again, "Look, the doctor said bed rest. That means you stayin' in bed and only gettin' up to go to the bathroom."

"But that's ridiculous," Lindsay tried to argue, but was drowned out by a squeal from Lucy, who began kicking and squirming, no longer interested in being on her perch. Danny again leaned forward to set her down, but this time Lucy tightened her grip on the arm he had across her stomach and wrapped her legs around it as well.

"Lucy!" Danny growled, once again standing up with the baby still in his arms.

Hearing the irritation in her father's voice, and frustrated with her situation, Lucy's face scrunched up and huge tears began rolling down her red face. Danny quickly turned her around so her bottom now rested on his arm.

Seeing her daughter's distress, Lindsay scolded, "Don't snap at her Danny."

His own frustration having been fanned by his wife's comment cause Danny to demand, "Well what exactly am I suppose to do Linds? Huh? She won't let me put her down, but she won't stay still neither."

"Give her to me," Lindsay said, her tone short.

Danny rolled his eyes and shook his head. "So she can crawl all over you? No, I don't think so."

Lindsay pressed her lips together and her nostrils flared. Recognizing the stony look on her face, Danny held tightly to a screaming Lucy and said, "Since you're already pissed at me, I should go ahead and tell ya that my ma is comin' over to watch Lucy today."

As expected Lindsay's eyebrows lowered into a glare that she usually reserved for interrogations. She was livid.

Fed up with the situation, Danny snapped, "Before you tear into me can I calm Lucy down first? I'm really not in the mood to have two girls screamin' in my ear?" Not waiting for a response, he moved to their dresser where he saw one of Lucy's pacifiers.

"Oh _you're_ not in the mood huh?" Lindsay began, but the rest of her retort died. A sudden hot flash sent her head swimming and her stomach rolling. The bile began burning its way up her esophagus and Lindsay scrambled to her feet.

Danny jumped out of her way as she shot past him to get to the bathroom. Hearing her gagging and retching made Danny feel like a heel, and Lucy's now pathetic series of sniffles and whimpers as she sucked on the pacifier Danny had shoved into her mouth, only served to make him feel worse. "How did things get so outta hand?" he wondered.

At the sound of the door bell ringing, Danny gave a sigh of relief. He moved quickly to the door, swung it open, and unceremoniously shoved Lucy into his mother's arms, saying, "Here, take the monkey." He made it as far as the bedroom before Lucy recovered from her shock and began wailing for him, but Danny forced himself to ignore it and trust in a grandmother's ability to calm her own grandchild. Right now he needed to make things straight with his wife.

He found her bent over the sink, her cheek smooshed against the cool counter top and she was using her hand to redirect the water flowing from the faucet so it was hitting her face, dampening her bangs. The only word Danny could think to describe the way she looked was miserable.

"Aw, Linds," he said sympathetically, and moved to help her. She half-heartedly shoved him away, her wet hand leaving spots on his shirt.

"Quit that," he admonished, reaching out to turn the water off.

"Quit bossing me around," Lindsay countered angrily, "I was doing just fine without you, thank you very much."

Danny stepped back as she pushed passed him, walking slowly back to bed, her hands holding her stomach. With a groan she lay down, plopping her head back onto the pillow, ignoring the small droplets of water that were falling from her bangs and rolling down her cheeks. They remained silent as they stared at one another-a twisted form of the old game Chicken; which stubborn Messer would crack first and break the stand off?

The ringing of Danny's phone sent them both jumping as the unexpected sound startled them. He snatched the phone out of his pocket and answered, though he never broke eye contact with his wife. He listened as Mac apologized for having to call Danny in an hour before his shift started, but there was a dead cop and three dead teenagers that needed immediate attention.

Taking the necessary details, Danny hung up. Lindsay continued to stare at him, though her eyelids were looking suspiciously heavier. Danny had a feeling that if he could have managed to stay on the phone a little bit longer she would have dozed off.

"Big case. I gotta go," he explained.

She nodded at him, but remained quiet.

Danny shoved a hand through his hair and tried again, "Look, I know this has gotta suck for you; not jus' bein' sick but you have always gotta be movin' or helpin' and right now you can't. You're always worrin' about everyone else an' never about yourself, but this time you have to babe. Please, give it a week. Let everyone who cares about you have the chance to help you, to feel needed, k? I mean ever right now, ya hear that?"

Lindsay lowered her brows in concentration, then shook her head indicating she heard nothing.

"Exactly," he cried, "My ma has Lucy as happy as a clam, an' don't you think she likes havin' the chance to feel needed?"

Lindsay simply glared at him, then rolled over. Apparently he had been dismissed and she was neither admitting defeat, nor continuing the argument. Danny locked his jaw in frustration and took a few calming breathes before walking over to his wife. He leaned over her stiff body to place a quick kiss on her cheek. "I love you," he said in a matter-of-fact tone.

He was surprised to hear her mumble, "I love you too." but less so when he heard her add, "Now go away."

"Gladly," he grumbled then left the room, pulling the door closed behind him. He headed towards the living room of their small apartment and, as he expected, found his mom and Lucy wrapped up in a game of pretend.

Upon seeing her father, Lucy immediately jumped up from her position as a kitty cat and ran to him, her arms extended. Instead of scooping her up Danny knelt down to her level, allowing her to hug him.

"Pee up, pee up, pee up," Lucy chanted.

"No pick up Luce, not right now. Daddy's gotta go to work, k?" Danny explained firmly.

"Go wif you," Lucy told him.

Danny did his best to keep from rolling his eyes in annoyance. "No baby girl. You're gonna stay here an' play with Grandma, a'right?"

"No! Oo-see go wif you!"

Danny could feel his mother's eyes on him, and was suddenly self-conscious over disciplining his daughter with the added pressure of his mother's gaze.

"Lucy wanna come see Grandma?" Gina tried.

"No, 'tay Dad-ee," Lucy wailed, clinging to his shirt. Danny tried to pull her hands away but Lucy started screaming, her face turning bright red as she fought his attempts. As big a hard-ass as Danny could be with everybody else in his life, when it came to his daughter the same rules didn't apply. He tucked her close to his body as he stood, forcing her head down onto his shoulder and held her, shooshing her gently.

He was running out of time. He needed to get to work, but he hated leaving Lucy like this, plus he knew the moment he left, Lindsay would get up and come out to help because as big a softie as he was, Lindsay was even bigger. She would not be able to just lay in bed while Lucy cried in such distress.

"Danny," Gina ventured quietly, "Do you wanna see if I can distract her while you sneak out?"

Danny hated the thought of having to trick his child, but time was a factor. He nodded. "Turn the TV on," he said evenly.

Gina moved quickly and soon the sounds of Muppets singing about sunny days filled the room. Danny sat down on the couch, and Lucy made no move to get off him.

Gina meanwhile, sat down in the floor and started building a tower of blocks. No one said a word.

A few minutes later Lucy decided she would rather watch the TV screen and turned in his lap. A few more minutes passed and Danny was able to slowly slide her on the couch next to him. And finally the small child, curious about what her grandmother was building and planning how she would be able to knock it over, Lucy slid off the couch to help in the construction.

Danny moved to the edge of his seat and froze as Lucy turned to look at him. He offered her a friendly smile and she smiled back then returned to her task of putting blocks into a stack.

"Ma," Danny practically whispered. Gina continued to engage with Lucy but a gave a small nod, indicating she had heard him. "Lucy's schedule is on the counter, along with Lindsay's diet recommendations."

Again Gina nodded.

"An' when Lindsay come in here an' says she's feeling much better an' tries to send you home, tell her I promised Lucy that you'd take her to the p-a-r-k," Danny explained, then added, "Call me with any questions. I'm gonna try and g-o now."

In response, Gina brought Lucy's attention to the brightly colored parrot on the TV. Danny stood, grabbed his stuff off the side table near the door and snuck out. He waited in the hallway, holding his breath, listening for any indication that World War III was about the start. However, much to his surprise and delight it remained silent. Danny glanced down at his watch and grimaced. He was running about 15 minuted behind. Hopefully Mac would be in a more forgiving mood than his wife and daughter.

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'What is that stain on the wall?' Lindsay wondered, 'Had it always been there? Surely I would have noticed it before now.'

She sighed. Why would she have noticed it? She had never had any reason to be lying in bed in the middle of the day starring at the wall. Even when she had been heavily pregnant with Lucy she would nap then get up-hadn't been a lot of lounging.

She glanced at the clock on her laptop: _10:26_

When Danny had left for work that morning she had planned to wait 15 minutes then get up and go relieve Gina of her babysitting duties, but to Lindsay's chagrin she had fallen asleep while waiting for him to leave. She begrudgingly had to admit the nearly three hour nap had left her feeling refreshed. She had emerged from her comfy prison only to find an empty apartment and a note.

_-Lindsay,_

_Went to the park to play and will probably grab some lunch while we're out. Be back by nap time. Call if you need anything, otherwise just kick back and relax!_

_-Gina & Lucy_

So Lindsay had dejectedly moped back to bed to wait for their return. She had munched on some dry, salty pretzels, then spent the next twenty minutes curled up in a ball trying desperately to keep from puking them up. She had focused on the wall until she knew every imperfection, including that mysterious stain.

She rubbed her stomach gently and smiled. "Your worth it baby." She was miserable, sick, frustrated, and hormonal, but she knew all of what she was feeling paled in comparison to the absolute love she felt for her child. To help distract her she began to try and visualize the baby; wondering if they were going to have a boy or a girl, and then smirked when her mind flashed back to the first time Danny had proposed. "Healthy," she said aloud, her voice firm, then she repeated it in a softer tone, almost prayer like. Addressing her stomach she added, "Though I would say you've got to be a boy. Only the Messer males cause this much trouble."

Lindsay looked forward to the day when she would receive an answering kick. Feeling the baby move beneath her skin was a truly amazing experience, even if towards the end Danny said it looked like something out the movie _Aliens_. "You can be a girl though. Daddy loves his girls and he would be so happy to add another adoring female to his life. Plus I wouldn't have to buy more baby clothes." Lindsay laughed, "Mommy's not really such a scrooge, but we've had quite a few medical bills this year...but don't you worry about that baby. We're going to take good care of you. I promise."

Lindsay grabbed a book off the stack Danny had left and started reading. She forced herself to eat a few crackers, and try to relax. She knew she couldn't afford to lose anymore weight, but was hoping to be able to avoid taking the anti-nausea medication. To her surprise she glanced at the clock and realized an hour had passed and she had been able to eat quiet a few of the crackers without feeling the impulse to puke them up.

Eyeing her phone lying on the bed Lindsay grabbed it on impulse. She pressed down the 2 button and the phone dialed the number that was saved. It was answered on the second ring.

"Wuz wrong? Everything a'right?" Danny's mildly panicked voice carried through the speaker.

"Nothings wrong," Lindsay insisted quickly, understanding and, for the first time, really appreciating Danny's concern. "Are you still at the scene?"

"Yeah," Danny breathed, relief clear.

"I'm surprised you answered," Lindsay observed.

"Well, I worry about you," he answered simply, offering no further explanation.

"I know you've gotta get back to work, I just wanted to say I'm sorry you had such a crappy morning, and I hope you have a good day."

The phone was silent for a moment, then she heard his gruff voice. "Thanks Lindsay. I needed that."

"We'll figure this out," Lindsay promised.

"Yeah," Danny agreed, "I gotta get back to work babe. I'll see you tonight. I love you."

"Love you too," Lindsay said, then ended the call. Content that things were as well as they could be Lindsay lay back and stared up at the ceiling and used her fingertips to graze across the skin of her belly in continuous circular motions. It was going to be a long week, but the end result made all the hardship worth it.

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**Thanks for reading!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A Quiet Goodbye**

**Part 9**

**By: ioanhoratio**

**Here's an update! Special thanks to VanCee123, Dine89, and afrozenheart412. And at DLChem, thanks to Rhylee, Juliab24, daytimedream, hms, tinihasbi, TASolo, Jess25, & m&m:]. It's because of you guys (and your gentle prodding…you know how you are) that I enjoy writing so much. Thanks for sticking with me and this story!**

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**7W 6D **

"Yo Messer, why don't you save some for the rest of us?" Don Flack called out to his friend who was currently pouring himself one of the largest cups of coffee Don had ever seen. Danny set the pot down and turned to the detective. "Whoa!" Don cried, taking in the other man's haggard appearance. "Never mind man, you take what you need."

With a grunt of disdain Danny merely turned back to his cup and emptied a small tub of creamer into it.

Don frowned and asked with manly concern, "Seriously dude, everything a'right?"

Danny didn't answer at first, instead he finished stirring his drink, then rewarded himself with a sip of the steaming fortifying liquid. Finally, feeling the warmth spread through his body helping him feel a little more awake, Danny answered, "Jus' been a long week's all."

"By the looks of it you haven't slept since Monday," Don observed.

Danny's face scrunched up slightly as he thought, then asked, his voice scratchy and tired, "What day is it?"

"Friday," Don smirked.

Danny pretended to mentally calculate the days, miming how long it may have been since he last slept and finally shrugged, "Sounds about right."

Don gave a light chuckle, though judging by the dark circles under Danny's half closed eyes, he wasn't entirely sure it was meant as a joke. Sensing his current line of questioning wasn't going to get him anywhere, Don tried a new approach. "How's Lindsay doin'?"

"She's good," Danny mumbled, trying to swallow down a yawn.

"She's good? That's all ya got?" Don replied in disbelief.

With a roll of his shoulders, Danny set his cup down and rubbed his face in frustration, before demanding, "Waddya want from me Don? The gory details? It's a puke fest from sun up to sun down."

Don grimaced and groaned, "Ah, man, Messer, that's gross."

"You're the one who wanted the heart to heart," Danny accused, his exhaustion translating into petulance.

"Excuse me for carin' about my friends," Don bit back.

The two men glowered at each other with matching expressions of indignation.

Danny broke first, and with a sigh, offered, "Sorry. I'm jus' a little stressed right now."

Don nodded his acceptance and said, "No problem."

The silence stretched between them for a moment until Don finally pressed, "So, ya gonna tell me what's goin' on or am I gonna hafta wrestle it outta ya?"

"You wish," Danny grumbled, proving that despite his weariness he wasn't about to let Don think he could best him in a wrestling match.

Don just shook his head, a small smile on his lips. He said nothing as he pulled a chair away from the break room table and sat, waiting.

Throwing his hands in the air in surrender, Danny used his foot to drag one of the chairs back and plopped down. He set his cup on the table and declared unceremoniously, "I'm an ass."

Caught off guard by the non sequitur, Don responded with the first thing that popped in his head. "Yeah, what else is new?"

"Now see," Danny blustered, starting to stand, "I try an' talk to you..."

"A'right, sorry man," Don overrode him, grabbing his sleeve and tugging him back down, "Sorry, you jus' made it too easy. Sit down. I'll shut up."

Danny looked skeptical.

"I'm serious, I swear, I'm all ears," Don promised with a smile.

"Yeah you are," Danny grumbled, and was pleased to see Don frown, reaching up to rub his ears self-consciously.

"That's cold Mess," Don whined. "Now quit stallin' an' tell me why you're an ass."

Danny brought a hand to his chin and scratched lightly at the hair there before saying, "I need a break."

Don gave him a confused look. "A break from what?"

Danny hesitated, struggling with his feelings. "From...Lindsay, Lucy, work, my ma, you name it," he confessed, looking at Flack, his expression uncertain.

Don carefully schooled his features into a blank expression as he nodded. He didn't want his surprise to discourage Danny from continuing. He struggled with a response, not expecting to hear his friend complain about his family. Don couldn't think of a time when he'd heard Danny saying anything against Lindsay or Lucy. Using his years of experience as an investigator, Don followed his instincts to listen and prompted easily, "What's goin' on?"

Seeing that his companion wasn't going to jump down his throat at his admission, Danny continued, "I don't know man, maybe I jus' need a chance to regroup. I thought I knew every thing Lindsay took care of in a day, but I didn't. I come home after a 10 or 12 hour shift, and there are about 15 chores that have to be done before bed, an' that doesn't include keepin' Lucy entertained. I thought Linds and I were a pretty good team, but I jus' didn't realize she took care of so much at home. And Lindsay is goin' crazy on bed rest. I think she's more stressed doin' nothin' than if she had an insurmountable list of things to do. She feels sick all day, she's irritable and hormonal with no outlet except for me. I come home every day afraid I'm gonna walk into our bedroom an' jus' find a Lindsay shaped hole in the wall."

Don couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped at the image Danny painted, but Danny didn't even seem to hear him.

"An' Lucy is clingy and whiney 'cause she doesn't understand the change in her routine. She loves my ma, but when I get home she doesn't want me to put her down or be away from 'er for more than two seconds. She hasn't been sleepin' too good, wakin' up cryin' and fussin' all night, which breaks Lindsay's heart 'cause she thinks she's to blame and wants to be able to get up an' help, but of course I won't let 'er so she's back to bein' pissed at me, then I get pissed. Then I hear her pukin' her guts out, or moanin' 'cause she feels so nauseated and I feel like a total douche."

Danny ran a hand through his short hair, causing the ends to stand up. He took a deep breath and shook his head. "An' the worst part is I know Lindsay is as scared as I am about what could happen with the baby, but we're both too afraid to say the words. Ya know? What if she stays sick the entire pregnancy? What if somethin' happens to her, or the baby? I was scared with Lucy, but it was a different kinda scared. I guess I was too ignorant to know all the dangers that came with a pregnancy. Seein' Linds so sick and hearin' the doctor say there could be a problem, I don't know...I jus'...I don't know. And all I can think about is havin' an hour to myself. I'm the jerk that got'er pregnant. She can't take an hour off from bein' sick..." Danny trailed off, his head down, as he waited for his friend's condemnation.

Don felt wildly out of his league. He knew nothing about babies, pregnancy, or marriage, but he could at least off his friendship. "Danny, I didn't realize you guys were dealin' with so much," he began lamely, but was cut off as Mac walked in.

"Danny," the older man said quickly, "we've got a scene."

"What?" Danny asked, "Mac, I only got an hour left. If I go to a scene now there's no way I'm makin' it home in time."

"I'm sorry Danny," Mac said sincerely, "but with Lindsay out sick and Hawkes in court, I don't have enough to cover. I need you to stay late." With his jaw set, Mac waited a moment to gage Danny's response. When the younger man sighed and only nodded in resignation Mac added, "Grab your kit and meet me in the garage." He then turned and strode down the hall.

Danny shoved away from the table angrily. "Shit," he breathed. "Now I getta call my ma and ask 'er to stay late, an' get to hear an earful from her about how I'm workin' too hard and how I've got responsibilities at home."

"Danny," Don said, trying to stop his friend, but Danny cut him off with a wave of his hand as he fished his cell phone out of his back pocket.

"Don't worry about it Don," Danny assured him, "Sorry I laid it on ya, but thanks for...uh...listenin'. It helped." With that he exited the room, not seeing the look of worry on his co-worker's face.

It was late by the time Danny trudged through his front door. The apartment was dimly lit, only a single lamp was on in the living room, though the flickering of the TV provided some additional illumination. His mom looked up from the late night program she had been watching and gave him a tired smile.

"Hey Ma," he greeted quietly.

She stood, stretching her arms out, and yawned. "Hello Son," she returned, beginning to gather her belongings. "Sorry to run out on ya, but I'm tired an' wanna get home. There's food in the oven, jus' warm it up on 350 for about 10 minutes. Lucy's been bathed and is asleep, but you should know she's in your bed." She raised her manicured hand, stopping any comment from Danny. "An' I don't wanna hear any grief about it. Lindsay needed time with her daughter, and that baby girl needed her mother tonight. There was nothin' I could do to get 'er to calm down. All she wanted was her mama."

Danny nodded, too tired to argue, too tired to even want to argue. "Thanks Ma. I know this week hasn't been too easy on you either. I appreciate ya takin' time out of your life to help us."

Gina Messer reached out to her over-extended child and took his chin in her hand. "You're a good boy, an' you gotta good family. I love helpin' but you two need to figure this out before it kills you both." She smacked a kiss against his cheek, then wiped the red stain that had been left by her lipstick.

"I left my cab runnin' down stairs, and gave him enough to cover your ride home," Danny told her, "And don't forget, tomorrow I've got the day off so you don't have to worry about comin' over."

Gina nodded, "Call me if ya need me." And with a wave she was out the door.

Danny sighed as he set his bag down and toed off his shoes. His body longed to stretch out on the couch and fall into oblivion, but his stomach growled at him, reminding him that it had been hours since he'd had anything to eat. He wondered into the kitchen, turned the oven on, not even bothering to see what was in there, and set to emptying the dish washer his mom had been kind enough to load and run.

Danny's mouth began to water as the aromas coming from the oven filled the air. It wasn't long before he was pulling out the, homemade margherita pizza. Danny stood at the stove, in the darkened kitchen, and devoured his meal, alone. He didn't even bother with a plate, since he knew it would require cleaning. He ate quickly, not liking the silence, and soon headed towards the bedroom he shared with his wife. He walked as softly as possible, not wanting to risk waking anyone. The bathroom light was on, casting a harsh yellow light across the bottom of the bed, allowing Danny to clearly see is two girls snuggled up next to each other fast asleep. He had briefly contemplated carrying Lucy back to her own bed, but seeing them together, and knowing his own need to be with his family, he rejected the idea. Instead, he moved to the bathroom and as quickly and quietly as possible he brushed his teeth, peeled off his work clothes to replace them with his comfy night clothes. Then he moved to the bed, leaving the light on incase Lucy woke up in the night, and lay his body down next to his little girl and wife. Lucy shifted in her sleep, bringing an arm out and smacking him in the face.

Danny couldn't help the small chuckle that found it's way to his lips. Lucy slowly opened one eye and gazed at him. "Hi Daddy," she greeted in her tiny, sleep-laden voice.

"Hi baby girl," Danny whispered, pulling her hand away from his face.

Lucy blinked owlishly at him, and said, "I tate you... I...I tate you...see montees wif mommy."

Danny gave a small snort of laughter, not having a clue what his daughter was talking about and knowing she was still mostly asleep. He smiled, and instructed softly, "That's good. Go back to sleep baby."

Lucy had no response, but simply did as her father instructed and closed her eyes, falling instantly back into her dream world. Danny kissed her forehead, then directed his gaze to his slumbering spouse. He loved to watch her sleep, not just because she was beautiful, but because it filled him with a sense of pride and accomplishment, that she was so willing to be vulnerable with him, to trust him, to rely on him, and him alone. It was his body she nestled close to, his hand she sought, his pillow she would steal, his voice she wanted to lull her to sleep when they would stay up late talking.

"I miss you," he breathed softly, suddenly realizing that was why he felt so drained. Yes, he saw her every day, and yes he slept next to her every night, but the passed week of her being on bed rest had meant working without her, parenting without her, running errands without her, being without her. Emotions overwhelmed him unexpectedly as Danny pondered what his life would be like without her. He let out a harsh breath and shook his head, he couldn't bring himself to think about it.

He reached out, desperate to make contact, and rested his hand against her slightly rounded stomach. "Baby," came his strangled whisper, "my baby..." but no more words made it out. He forced deep breathes in and out as he marveled at the little life under his hand. After Lucy had been born Danny realized that his love for his child was unconditional, that he would be able to love any child of his, but knowing he shared that child with Lindsay had filled him with awe. Knowing that once again they would be welcoming a new life into their home, a life they created together, left him speechless.

"Danny?" Lindsay croaked sleepily.

Danny looked up at her and saw the same one-eye-open-semi-conscious expression on his wife's face that he had seen on their daughter's a moment earlier.

"What's wrong?" she asked him, forcing her other eye open and blinking rapidly, trying to clear away the sleep induced fog, as she tried to focus on his face.

Danny smiled at her, wiping quickly at the suspicion liquid that had gathered in his eyes. "Nothin' babe," he assured her quietly, "jus' takin' a minute to count my blessings."

Lindsay gave him her toothy grin, and Danny felt his heart wanting to burst.

"Damn it," he growled, "would you please have a boy 'cause I use to have a pair, but since you two came along I've turned into a total pansy. I swear I'm gonna wind up gettin' a period before Lucy does."

Lindsay's snort of laughter brought a smile to his face.

"Whatever," she said, rolling her eyes, "You were always this soft; you just weren't always man enough to show it." She brought her hand to rest atop his on her belly and squeezed, adding, "and I think there is plenty of proof that you've still got a pretty decent pair on you."

"Montana!" Danny whispered harshly, using his free hand to indicate to his ears, then to the sleeping Lucy.

Lindsay shook her head. "Like you haven't said worse in front of her," she accused playfully, "and besides she's zonked."

"I noticed," Danny chided easily.

Lindsay sighed irritably. "Don't be mad. It didn't cause any exertion to snuggle with my baby girl until she fell asleep."

Danny reached up and ran his hand through her short hair, giving her a small, contrite smile, an offering of peace. "I'm not mad," he assured her softly, "I…I'm sorry I've been such a hard ass this week about this. I know it hasn't been easy on you and I think I may have made things harder. I jus'…I was just worried, and probably more than a little freaked out."

"Danny…" Lindsay breathed sadly.

"Let me finish," he pressed, "I need to say that I've been really scared about all this an' I'm sorry I didn't handle it better. I love you an' I love this little baby. I jus' wanted to take care of you, all of you."

"You do," Lindsay interjected, no longer able to listen to his confession, "you're a great daddy, and a wonderful husband, even when you were driving me crazy I knew you were only trying to help, and I should probably apologize too. I haven't handled this well either. I know I've been fighting you, and taking out my frustrations on you, and…I guess freaked out is the best way to say it, I was freaked out—am freaked out—and I'm sorry."

"We're a pretty sorry pair, aren't we?" Danny said off-handedly.

The two parents stared at each other in silence for a moment before Lindsay let out a snicker of laughter. Danny quickly followed suit and soon the harder they fought to quiet their giggles, the more hilarious everything became. It didn't matter than neither of them had a clue what they were laughing at, it just mattered that they were laughing.

"Shh!" Lindsay tried to chastise, but the effort to speak and to not laugh caused a small snort to escape, which only prompted more laughter from the duo.

"You gotta stop," Danny pleaded, "or we're gonna wake up baby girl."

"Me?" Lindsay chuckled, "What am I doing? _You're_ the one making me laugh."

Danny forced a few deep breaths in and let them out slowly. Lindsay tried as well, and after a few failed attempts, the couple finally calmed down. They lay in the quiet darkness, listening to the gentle snoring coming from their daughter. Danny felt more relaxed than he had allowed himself to feel all week.

A faint rumbling sound broke the spell of contentment and Danny's questioning gaze snapped to Lindsay's face.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

"Was that your stomach?" he asked.

"Yeah, I think I'm hungry," Lindsay admitted.

"Really?" Danny cried, the last half of the word raising an octave.

"I…" Lindsay paused to focus on her body, "Yeah, I think so."

"Whadya wanna eat? I'll make you anything you want," Danny promised excitedly, untangling himself from the bed covers.

Not wanting to press her luck, Lindsay asked for cheese toast, and grinned as she watched her husband happily scurry from the room with promises of the best cheese toast she'd ever tasted—although how he could make toasted bread with a melted slice of cheese on top taste any better was beyond her. In the five minutes it took Danny to prepare the late night snack, Lindsay marveled at her returning appetite. She still wasn't ready to jump into a full course meal, but she hadn't felt the desire to eat in several weeks, and the fact that she was actually feeling hungry was a good sign.

"A'right babe," Danny declared, still keeping his voice low, "I got one order of cheese toast for ya."

He handed her the plate of warm bread and placed a glass of water on the table next to her, then sat and watched her.

Lindsay felt funny with him starring at her so intently, but knew it was pointless to argue; instead she picked up a slice and began to nibble on a crunchy corner. She waited for the now customary roll of her insides, but it never came. Lindsay took a bigger bite and chewed slowly.

Danny raised his eyebrows in question, and Lindsay swallowed. She took a sip of water, waited another few seconds then took another bite, and another. It wasn't long before she was handing an empty plate to Danny.

"Hot damn, Montana. I love a girl with an appetite," Danny teased, setting the plate down on their dresser. He crawled back into bed. "Still feelin' good?"

Lindsay nodded, snuggling down into the covers. "I'll let you know if I need the puke bucket."

"Such pillow talk," Danny joked, then beamed. "This is good babe. I'm glad you ate. This's gotta mean things are changin' an' gettin' better."

"Yeah, I guess I just needed to get to the end of my first trimester," Lindsay sighed happily, her eyelids growing heavy, "I'm glad things are finally changing."

**To be continued… **

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**Thanks for reading!**

**Things are going to get rather Lindsay-heavy soon, so I figured a little Danny-centered chapter was called for. So, too maudlin? Too goofy? What did you think? And I apologize, I didn't have much time to proof read this (especially the last half) so I hope you can ignore the typos and whatnot. Thanks!**


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